I 


BUDDYJIM 

ELIZABETH  GORDOlsf 


f 


I*-: 


& 


v-**«^il^ 


.v> 


It 


^t  r?' 


, 


e 


'-' 


^ 


/; 


:> 


m 


^C 


^v 


K 


*** 


^ 


fa 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00022245946 


^■^ 


JR, 


7 


\. 


dUDDY 
IM 


Cy^y^^^C^.     /Q^ui/sL^L 


-mt- 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/buddyjimOOgord 


UDDY  IIM 


B 


^ELIZABETH  GORDON 


Pictured  h 


v  JOHN 


RAE 


THE  P.F.VOLLAND  COMPANY 

JOUET,  ILLINOIS 

NEW  YORK  BOSTON 


Copyright,  1922 

P.  F.  Volland  Company 

Chicago,  U.  S.  A. 

All  rights  reserved 


Copyright  Great  Britain,  1922 


Printed  in  U.S.A. 


Twenty-third  Edition 


©rewOT 


UT 


in 


the    Park    one    day, 


children,  I  met  a  little  boy 
not  bigger  than  you  are,  who 
told  me  that  he  liked  stories  about  a 
boy  and  a  dog  and  the  things  they  did 
together. 

He  said  that  it  must  be  a  real  boy 
and  a  real  dog,  and  there  must  be  other 
animals  in  the  story,  not  great,  big, 
fierce  ones,  but  just  neighborly  ones  — 
animals  a  boy  might,  perhaps,  meet 
when  he  went  lor  walks  in  the  woods — 
and  take  pictures  of  and  get  to  know. 

So  this  is  the  story  of  the  way  a  real 
boy  and  a  real  dog  spent  their  first  sum- 
mer in  the  real  country;  and  the  km  they 
had  together. 

Buddy  Jim  and  old  Dog  Sandy  are 
waiting  for  us  over  on  the  front  page. 

Your  very  own. 


J^vJL 


£>>L— 


I   Key  were  goitvgto 

■*■  get  art  early  start 


LEAVING   HOME   IN  THE   CITY 

"We  re  going  to  the  Country" 

Said  little  Buddy  Jim. 
And  all  his  little  play -mates  said, 

"How  dull  'twill  be,  for  him" 
"It's  like  a  great,  big,  vacant  lot, 

Just  land  and  air  and  sky!" 
"No  boys!     No  games!     Oh  dear!"  said  Jim, 

''Don't  want  to  say  Goodbye!" 

BUT  he  had  to  say  "Goodbye,"  because  all  the  other 
boys'  Mothers  were  calling  them  in  to  go  to  bed,  and 
as  Buddy  Jim  and  his  family  were  going  to  get  an 
early  start  for  their  trip  to  the  country  in  their  automobile, 
there  would  be  no  time  for  saying  farewells  in  the  morning. 

So  all  the  boys  ran  home,  shouting  last  messages  to  Buddy 
Jim  as  they  went.  "Bring  us  a  tame  bull-frog,"  said  one,  and 
"I'd  like  a  grey  squirrel  to  keep  in  a  cage,"  said  another. 

As  Buddy  Jim  heard  the  last  door  close  behind  the  last 
small  boy  he  felt  very  lonely  indeed;  so  he  sat  down  on  the 
porch  swing  to  think  it  over. 

He  could  hear  Daddy  moving  around  in  the  house,  getting 
everything  ready  for  the  early  morning  start,  and  he  knew 
that  it  would  not  be  very  many  minutes  before  he  would  be 
called  in  to  go  to  bed;  and  he  wanted  to  get  his  thinking  done 
first,  so  he  had  to  do  it  quickly. 

There  was  one  thing  that  he  was  very  sure  of;  he  did  not 
want  to  go  away  and  leave  all  his  play-mates  behind.  "Course," 


tiddy  Jitrc  •^rC^'^k 

he  thought,  "there  would  prob'ly  he  some  tun  in  the  country," 
—but  he  knew  that  there  was  loads  and  loads  of  it  in  the  city, 
base  ball  and  three  old  cat,  and  swimming  in  the  lake,  and 
chasing  butterflies,  and  working  in  the  school  gardens,  helping 
Alex  the  crippled  boy  in  the  wheel  chair  to  train  his  bull-pups, 
and  "Oh,  Goodness'  Sakes!  So  many  things!  So  many 
interesting  things  to  do." 

"I  don't  want  to  go,"  he  murmured  aloud.  "There'll  be 
no  one  to  play  with;  three  whole  months,  and  no  one  to  play 
with!  Not  much  fun  to  think  about!  I'll  prob'ly  just  lade 
away  and  die!"  he  wailed. 

Then  somebody  laughed,  "Ha,  ha,  ha!"  To  be  sure,  it 
was  a  queer,  squeaky  little  laugh,  and  Buddy  Jim  had  never 
heard  anything  like  it  before,  but  it  sounded  very  jolly. 

"Now  I  wonder,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  "what  that  was?  It 
sounded  just  like  somebody  laughing!  But  there's  no  one  here 
'cept  me." 

"Hello,  Buddy  Jim,"  said  the  same  squeaky  little  voice, 
"Hello!  Can't  you  see  me?  Here  I  am,  up  above  you,  in 
the  corner  of  the  porch  ceiling,  hanging  on  a  nail." 

Buddy  Jim  peered  up  into  the  darkness  above  him,  and 
sure  enough  he  saw  a  funny,  fussy  little  body,  hanging  head 
downward,  so  that  a  pair  of  little  eyes,  in  a  funny  little  fox- 
like face,  were  laughing  down  at  him. 

"Why!"  said  Buddy  Jim  in  surprise,  "Why!  Who  are  you?" 

"I?  Oh!  I'm  just  Reddy  Bat,  and  when  I  heard  you  say 
that  you  were  sad  because  you  were  going  to  the  Country  to 
live  this  summer,  I  just  couldn't  help  laughing.  I  just  laughed 
right  out  loud!  Why,  I'd  almost  give  my  right  wing  to  go  to 
the  Country  to  live." 

"Then  why  don't  you?"  asked  Buddy  Jim.  It's  "not 
very  far."  "Can't"  said  Reddy  Bat,  "Can't,  I've  got  a  family 
to  support.  Can't  afford  to  leave  these  good  hunting  grounds 
just  for  the  pleasure  of  living  in  the  country." 


I^^^rw   Buddy  Jinx  >*■■ 

"What  do  you  hunt,  here?"  asked  Buddy  Jim,  politely. 

"Oh,  flies  and  mosquitoes,  and  dragon  flies,  and  bugs  of 
all  sorts,"  said  Reddy  Bat.  "Don't  you  ever  hear  us  swoop- 
ing around  after  dark?" 

"Now  I  come  to  think  of  it,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  "I  think  T 
have.  But  I  thought  you  were  some  night  bird.  Anyway, 
do  you  really  think  there  will  be  any  fun  in  the  Country?" 

"There  will  be  if  you  make  it,"  said  Reddy  Bat,  "there 
never  is  any  fun  anywhere  unless  one  makes  it  for  himself. 
But  /  could  have  a  good  time  there.  I've  some  cousins  who 
live  there,  and  if  you  happen  to  meet  them,  just  give  them  my 
best  wishes,  will  you,  like  a  good  chap?" 

"Why  yes,  I  certainly  will,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  "if  I  see 
them,"  he  added.  "But  maybe  I  won't  see  them!  I've  never 
seen  you  before  in  all  my  life  until  now,  you  know." 

Reddy  Bat  laughed  again.  "I  know  it,"  he  said,  "and  I 
live  right  here  on  your  front  lawn,  in  your  own  oak  trees,  and 
bring  my  family  out  for  supper  and  exercise  every  evening." 
"Where  do  you  leave  your  children  when  you  come  out?" 
"Leave  the  children!''''  said  Reddy  Bat  in  surprise.  "Leave 
the  precious  children!  Why,  we  wouldn't  think  of  such  a 
thing.  Mrs.  Reddy  Bat  always  takes  our  children  with  her 
when  we  leave  home.  Why  we  would  not  have  an  easy 
moment  all  the  time  we  were  away  if  we  left  them  at  home!" 

"I  think  you  are  very  tender-hearted,"  said  Buddy  Jim. 
"Most  folks  say  the  Bats  are  ugly  and  not  friendly."  "Well," 
said  Reddy  Bat,  "/  know  we  are  not  very  beautiful  to  look  at, 
but  I  suppose  we  are  very  much  like  other  people;  we  try  to 
defend  ourselves  when  we  are  molested.  But  if  people  treat 
us  kindly,  we  treat  them  kindly." 

"But,  Reddy  Bat,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  "tell  me  what  fun  is 
there  in  the  Country?" 


xiddyjiitt. 


■zM 


"You'll  see,"  laughed  Reddy  Bat,  "living  in  the  Country 
will  make  your  eyes  open  wide  so  that  you  can  see!  And  now 
Goodnight  and  Goodbye,  Buddy  Jim.  It's  time  for  me  to  go 
to  work  and  for  you  to  go  to  bed."  And  Reddy  Bat  unhooked 
the  tip  of  his  wing  from  the  nail  in  the  corner  of  the  porch 
roof,  and  flew  past  Buddy  with  a  laugh  and  a  whizz  and  was 
gone! 

Buddy  Jim  sat  up  and  looked  after  him.  He  felt  much 
happier!     Just  then  Daddy  called,  "Bedtime,  Son!" 

"Dad,"  said  the  little  boy,  "I  b'lieve  I'm  going  to  like 
living   in  the  Country,  after  all!" 

"Sure  to,  Son,"  said  Daddy,  and  they  gravely  shook 
hands  on  it. 


I 


JR. 


BUDDY  JIM,  OLD  RED  SQUIRREL  AND 
THE  ROBIN  BIRD 

The  summer  shower  had  scurried  by 

And  left  the  world  all  new; 
And  the  fleecy  clouds  were  floating 

In  a  sky  of  clearest  blue; 
The  plants  were  all  so  grateful 

You  could  almost  see  them  grow; 
Said  Buddy  Jim,  "The  Country  is 

The  nicest  place  Ik?jow!,y 

BLTDDY  JIM  was  in  the  hammock  on  the  porch  with 
a  book.  But  he  had  not  been  reading.  It  was 
much  more  fun  to  watch  the  zigzag  streaks  of  light- 
ning flash  across  the  world,  and  to  see  the  tall  trees  bend 
and  sway  in  the  wind,  and  to  hear  the  big  boom  of  the 
thunder-bird's  wings.  It  was  all  so  different  from  a  shower  in 
the 'city,  when  you  had  to  rush  and  close  all  the  windows,  and 
stay  indoors  until  it  was  over. 

Buddy  Jim  laughed  to  himself  when  he  thought  about  how 
much  he  had  disliked  to  leave  the  city,  and  come  to  his 
Father's  farm  for  the  summer.  His  Father  had  bought  it 
just  so  that  they  could  have  a  summer  home  where  the  little 
boy  could  run  and  play  and  be  interested.      "I  'xpected  to  be 


lonesome,"  said  he  to  himself,  "but  I'm  not.  I've  never  had 
so  much  fun  before  in  my  life!"  And  he  settled  back  in  the 
hammock  to  read  his  new  book. 

But  he  had  hardly  begun  to  read,  when  he  sat  up  with  a 
start.  There  was  a  great  chattering  and  scolding  from  the 
branches  of  an  old  elm  tree  on  the  front  lawn.  And  there  was 
a  cry  that  sounded  to  Buddy  Jim  like  a  call  for  help,  so  he  threw 
his  book  aside  and  running  out  to  the  old  elm  tree  peered 
up  into  its  leafy  branches. 

Old  Dog  Sandy  got  up  from  the  porch  steps,  shook  the 
rain  drops  from  his  shaggy  coat,  and  followed  his  master. 

But  the  leaves  of  the  old  elm  tree  were  very  thick  and 
they  could  see  nothing,  though  the  chattering  and  scolding 
and  calls  for  help  were  still  going  on. 

"Sounds  as  though  old  Red  Squirrel  was  trying  to  help 
himself  to  Mrs.  Robin  Redbreast's  eggs,"  said  Old  Bob  the 
gardener,  as  he  came  by. 

"Is  that  what  it  is?"  said  Buddy  Jim.  "Well,  you  watch 
me!     I'm  going  up  there  and  spoil   that  old  fellow's  game." 

"I'll  give  you  a  boost,  if  you're  going  up,"  said  Old  Bob 
the  gardener.  "You'll  get  there  quicker."  And  he  swung 
Buddy  Jim  up  to  his  shoulders.  From  there  Buddy  Jim 
could  reach  up  and  catch  the  lower  branches  of  the  old  elm, 
and  so  clinging  with  his  bare  brown  feet  like  a  regular  little 
monkey,  he  was  soon  in  sight  of  Mrs.  Robin  Redbreast's  nest. 

It  was  just  as  Old  Bob  the  gardener  had  suspected.  There 
was  old  Red  Squirrel  chattering  and  scolding  at  poor  Mrs. 
Robin,  doing  his  best  to  chase  her  away  from  her  nest;  and  she, 
poor  brave  little  Mother  bird,  was  sticking  tight  and  refusing 
to  leave  her  precious  blue  eggs. 

When  old  Red  Squirrel  saw  Buddy  Jim  he  knew  his  game 
was  up,  and  so  he  turned  and  ran,  like  the  coward  he  was, 
past  Buddy  Jim,  and  down  the  trunk  of  the  old  elm  tree. 


Id.  Hog  Sandy  doesivt 
like  Cats ! 


tiddyjrm,  >>:C^ ^ 


Of  course  he  did  not  know  that  old  Dog  Sandy  was  waiting 
there  for  him,  and  he  ran  right  into  him!  If  old  Dog  Sandy 
had  been  young  Dog  Sandy  it  would  have  gone  hard  with  old 
Red  Squirrel.  But  even  if  old  Dog  Sandy  could  not  catch 
him,  he  could  chase  him  away  and  that  is  just  what  he  did, 
barking  so  loudly  it  gave  him  a  very  good  scare  anyway,  so 
that  he  made  up  his  robber  mind  that  he  would  keep  away 
from  that  place  in  the  future! 

Up  in  the  elm  tree  poor  little  Mother  Robin  was  trembling 
all  over.  "I  thought  you  never  would  come,  Buddy  Jim,"  she 
said.  "And  then  T  thought  perhaps  you  were  one  of  those 
boys  who  don't  care  much  what  becomes  of  birds." 

"Indeed  I  am  not,"  said  Buddy  Jim.  "I  care  very  much 
for  birds,  indeed  I  do,  but  you  see  I'm  just  out  from  the  city, 
and  I  did  not  know  what  your  call  for  help  meant.  I  don't 
know  much  about  Country  life  yet.  Does  old  Red  Squirrel 
bother  you  much?" 

"I  should  say  he  does,"  said  Mother  Robin.  "If  he  can 
only  find  out  when  Father  Robin  is  away  after  worms  for  my 
dinner,  he  is  sure  to  come  and  try  to  frighten  me  away  so 
that  he  can  have  a  chance  to  eat  my  beautiful  blue  eggs  for 
his  dinner.  He  is  a  dreadful  pest.  Between  him  and  Peter 
Prowler  the  Cat,  who  is  very  likely  to  catch  my  babies  before 
they  are  big  enough  to  fly,  it's  a  wonder  I  am  ever  able  to 
bring  up  a  family." 

"Well,  little  Mother  Robin,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  "you  can 
be  quiet  now,  and  forget  all  about  it.  Old  Dog  Sandy  will  be 
sure  to  see  that  Peter  Prowler  does  not  come  around  here. 
He  doesn't  like  cats.  And  I'm  going  to  live  here  all  summer, 
and  I'll  see  that  old  Red  Squirrel  keeps  away.  Goodbye, 
little  Mother  bird."  And  Buddy  Jim  slid  back  down  the  old 
elm  tree,  and  found  old  Dog  Sandy  just  coming  back  from  his 
long  chase  after  old  Red  Squirrel. 


>~-v-~    K- 


tiddyjitxi 


"Sandy,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  "If  you  happen  to  see  Peter 
Prowler  the  cat  around  here  after  Mrs.  Robin's  babies,  I  want 
you  to  chase  him  away.     Do  you  hear?" 

"Woof,  woof!"  promised  Old  Dog  Sandy.  And  he  kept 
his  word,  and  so  after  awhile  there  were  four  very  fat,  speckly 
young  robin  birds  running  around  the  lawn,  and  they  got  so 
tame  they  would  hop  right  up  on  the  swing  and  chatter  to 
Buddy  Jim. 


uddy  Jirn.  loved  to  look  at 
hi^MotRer. 


BUDDY  JIM  AND  THE  PIN-CUSHIONY  PERSON 

"The  Strawberries  are  ripening" 

Old  Bob  the  gardener  said, 
"And  I  must  thin  the  beets  next  week, 

They're  crowded  in  their  bed; 
So  I  shall  go  to  town  today, 

While  there ' s  not  much  to  do;" 
"0  dear,  0  dear,"  said  Buddy  Jim 

"I  wish  I  might  go  too!" 

FOR  Buddy  Jim  knew  that  he  was  going  to  have  a  very 
lonely  day!  There  was  no  doubt  about  it.  He  liked 
well  enough  being  in  the  country,  when  he  could 
tramp  about  after  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  and  plant  things, 
and  pull  up  other  things,  and  learn  the  name  of  every  thing 
and  the  reason  for  it. 

Old  Bob  the  gardener  said  every  day  that  he  had  never 
before  seen  a  "city  chap"  who  learned  so  easily  to  tell  the  weeds 
from  the  plants,  and  who  knew  just  which  things  to  take  from 
the  garden  to  (<jud  to  his  pet  rabbits. 

But  Old  Bob  the  gardener  was  going  to  town  for  a  whole 
long  day!  And  there  was  nothing  to  do;  and  even  if  there  had 
been  anything  to  do,  there  was  nobody  to  do  it  with;  and  he 
was  just  plain  lonesome;  but  he  s'posed  he'd  have  to  feed  his 
rabbits;  so  he  started  to  the  garden  for  some  weeds. 

Just  then  Mother  called:  "Buddy  Jim!  Are  you  there?" 
"Yes,  Mother,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  running  back  to  the  porch 


JtiddyJFrm, 


-M 


where  Mother  was  standing  in  her  pretty,  cool-looking  pink 
dress,  with  her  hair  blowing  in  little  curls  around  her  face. 

Buddy  Jim  loved  to  look  at  his  Mother.  She  was  so 
pretty! 

"Buddy,"  said  his  Mother,  "do  you  think  you  could  go 
down  to  the  edge  of  the  Fir  thicket  and  get  me  some  more 
Fir  tips  for  the  Porch  pillows?  " 

"Why,  yes,  Mother,  of  course  I  can,  and  I  will,  too,  just  as 
soon  as  I  have  fed  my  rabbits,"  said  Buddy  Jim. 

"That's  a  good  son,"  said  Mother,  "and  you'd  better  go 
around  to  the  kitchen  and  ask  Mary  the  maid  for  a  basket 
and  some  blunt-pointed  scissors.  And  be  careful  about  poison 
ivy,  son;  there's  a  bunch  of  it  down  near  the  edge  of  the  Fir 
thicket  that  Bob  the  gardener  has  not  had  time  to  destroy." 

"Don't  worry,  Mother,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  "I  know  that 
stuff  when  I  see  it,  and  I'll  be  sure  to  keep  away  from  it." 
And  the  little  boy  whistled  to  Old  Dog  Sandy  to  come  along, 
happy  that  he  had  found  something  to  do. 

It  was  lots  of  fun  running  across  the  fields  to  the  woods. 
The  grass  was  long  and  wet  with  the  dew  of  the  morning,  and 
it  curled  around  Buddy  Jim's  little  bare  legs  just  as  though  it 
loved  to  have  little  bare-legged  boys  wade  through  it.  Old 
Dog  Sandy  thought  it  was  wonderful  to  chase  the  big  gray 
Grasshoppers  that  flew  up  in  all  directions,  with  a  ch-r-r-r, 
that  sounded  just  like  a  pin-wheel  on  the  Fourth  of  July. 

Pretty  soon  they  came  to  the  Fir  thicket,  where  all  the 
young  Fir  trees  were  standing  like  tall  young  ladies  in  pale 
green  dresses  ready  to  go  to  church  on  a  Sunday  morning. 

Buddy  began  carefully  to  cut  off  the  pale  green  tips  of  the 
boughs  as  his  Mother  had  shown  him,  while  Old  Dog  Sandy 
roamed  through  the  bashes  amusing  himself. 

Buddy  Jim's  basket  was  almost  full  of  the  fragrant  Fir  tips, 
and  he  was  just  going  to  whistle  for  Old  Dog  Sandy,  to  come 
home  with  him,  when  there  was  a  dreadful  commotion  from 


tiddyjrm, 


inside  of  the  Fir  thicket.  It  was  Old  Dog  Sandy  barking  for 
all  he  was  worth,  in  a  way  that  Buddy  knew  meant,  "Come 
here,  quickly,  and  see  what  I've  found!" 

So  Buddy  Jim  put  his  basket  down  and  ran  into  the  Fir 
thicket,  where  he  found  Old  Dog  Sandy  doing  his  best  to 
climb  an  old  dead  Fir  tree,  which  was  much  taller  than  the  rest 
of  the  trees,  at  the  same  time  barking  his  very  fiercest  at  some- 
thing that  was  perched  up  on  a  limb  of  the  tree.  Something 
that  was  very  much  alive,  and  looked  like  a  big  round  pin- 
cushion stuck  full  of  pins,  points  up. 

"Hello!"  said  Buddy  Jim,  "What's  the  matter  here?" 
"Matter  enough,  /  should  say,"  chattered  a  very  indignant 
little  voice,  "and  you'd  better  call  off  that  foolish  old  dog  of 
yours  if  you  want  to  save  him  trouble.  He'll  be  a  sorry 
dog  if  he  bites  me!" 

"Don't  be  afraid  of  Sandy,"  said  Buddy  Jim.  "He  is  an 
old  dog.  I've  had  him  always,  and  his  bark  is  worse  than  his 
bite;  besides,  he  can't  climb  a  tree  anyway;  he  just  thinks 
he  can !" 

The  round  Pin-cushiony  Person  in  the  tree  just  laughed. 
"Bless  your  heart,"  he  said,  "I'm  not  afraid  of  Old  Dog  Sandy; 
I'm  just  being  polite  to  him  because  he's  a  City  dog  and  doesn't 
know  any  better  than  to  try  to  bite  me;  any  country  dog 
would  know  better." 

"You  go  outside  and  lie  down,  Sandy,"  said  Buddy  Jim, 
and  when  the  old  dog  had  gone,  growling  deep  down  in  his 
throat  because  he  did  not  want  to  go,  he  turned  to  the  Pin- 
cushiony  Person  and  said,  "Now  tell  me  what  your  name  is 
and  why  Sandy  would  be  a  sorry  dog  if  he  should  bite  you." 

"You  must  have  read  about  me  in  books,"  said  the  Pin- 
cushiony  Person,  "and  it  you  would  think  a  bit  you  would 
know  that  my  name  is  Prickly  Porcupine.  My  pins  are 
stuck  in  very  loosely,  so  if  a  dog  bites  me  he  gets  something  to 
remember  me  by.      He  gets  a  mouthful  of  pins  that  do  not  come 


uddy  Jirrt  ^,y:C^^ 

out  very  easily  and  I  don't  get  hurt  very  much.  Sometimes, 
just  for  fun,  I  let  one  start  to  bite  me,  and  just  as  he  thinks 
he  has  me  I  hit  him  in  the  mouth  with  my  tail,  and  he  goes 
home  in  a  hurry  to  ask  his  master  to  pull  my  pins  out!" 

"I  don't  call  that  being  very  friendly,"  said  Buddy  Jim. 
"It  isn't  very  friendly  for  dogs  to  try  to  bite  me,  either,  just 
because  they're  bigger  than  I  am,"  said  the  Pin-cushiony 
Person.  "Mother  Nature  made  me  the  way  I  am,  so  I'd  have 
some  way  of  defending  myself.  I'm  so  fat,  and  my  legs  are 
so  short  that  I  do  not  run  very  well,  and  besides,  I  don't  feel 
like  running  away  from  my  enemies." 

"Well,  I  don't  blame  you  for  that,"  said  Buddy  Jim. 
"Nobody  likes  to  run,  even  if  the  other  fellow  is  the  biggest. 
I  don't!  I  know  just  how  you  feel  about  that.  But  do  tell 
me.     What  do  you  do  all  the  time?     Do  you  live  all  alone?" 

"Not  all  the  time,"  answered  the  Pin-cushiony  Person,  "T 
have  a  family;  but  we  are  rather  independent  people  and  like 
to  be  alone.  Days  I  sleep  mostly,  unless  I  am  disturbed,  as 
I  was  by  your  Old  Dog  Sandy  just  now,  and  nights  I  go  out 
for  food." 

"What  do  you  eat?"  asked  Buddy  Jim.  "I'm  almost 
afraid  to  tell  you,"  said  the  Pin-cushiony  Person,  "for  fear 
that  you'll  tell  old  Bob  the  gardener,  but  I  live  in  this  Fir 
thicket  because  it  is  so  near  to  the  farm  of  your  Father." 

"Wrhy  should  Bob  the  gardener  care?"  asked  Buddy  Jim. 
''Well  you  see,"  said  the  Pin-cushiony  Person,  "I  go  out  at 
night  and  I  nibble  a  bit  here,  and  a  bit  there,  from  old  Bob's 
garden,  and  I  know  how  very  particular  he  is  about  his  garden 
and  so  I  know  if  he  ever  catches  me  at  it  I  shall  be  driven 
away  from  the  Fir  thicket." 

"Do  people  hunt  you  much?"  asked  Buddy  Jim.  "Not 
very  much  nowadays"  answered  the  Pin-cushiony  Person, 
"but  I've  heard  old  Grandfather  Porcupine  tell  stories  to  the 


Ttr*£iv<-  Buddy  Jinx 

Young  Ones.  He  said  his  Grandfather  had  told  him  about 
the  times  when  the  Red  Men  lived  in  the  forests,  and  used  to 
hunt  our  people  with  bows  and  arrows.  And  how  the  Red 
Women  used  to  cook  us  to  feed  their  children,  and  to  use  our 
quills  that  Mother  Nature  had  given  us  to  defend  ourselves 
with  to  trim  their  dresses  and  moccasins."  "But  those  dread- 
ful days  are  all  over,"  he  went  on,  "and  now  about  all  we  have 
to  fear  are  the  eagles  and  the  larger  animals."  "Aren't  they 
afraid  of  your  sharp  pins?"  asked  Buddy  Jim.  "Some  of 
them  are,  after  they  get  one  mouthful,"  answered  the  Pin- 
cushiony  Person,  "but  Old  Man  Fisher  is  always  hungry  and 
willing  to  take  a  chance  of  getting  stuck  full  of  pins.  But  it 
you  don't  mind,  Buddy  Jim,  I'm  a  bit  sleepy — it  always  makes 
me  drowsy  to  talk — so  I'll  say  Goodbye  and  just  turn  over 
and  have  my  nap  out." 

"Goodbye,  old  Mr.  Porcupine,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  "and 
good  luck  to  you."  And  he  picked  up  his  basket  of  Fir  tips 
and  whistled  to  Old  Dog  Sandy,  who  was  still  growling. 

"Cld  Dog  Sandy  and  I  ran  on  to  Old  Prickly  Porcupine 
down  in  the  Fir  thicket  today,"  said  Buddy  Jim  to  Old  Bob 
the  gardener,  that  night.  "And  Old  Dog  Sandy  wanted  to 
bite  him." 

"He  would  have  been  a  sorry  old  dog  if  he  had,"  said  Old 
Bob  the  gardener. 

But  Old  Dog  Sandy  just  opened  one  eye,  and  tapped  the 
ground  with  his  tail. 

lie  was  thinking  that  some  day  when  there  was  nobody 
looking,  he  was  going  back  to  that  Fir  thicket  alone!  And 
he  was  going  to  show  that  old  Pin-cushiony  Person! 


1 8  Key  were  very  pretty  little 
MeigKbors 


J 


BUDDY  JIM  GOES  SWIMMING  AND  MEETS  A  QUEER 
LITTLE  NEIGHBOR 

The  sun  came  climbing  up  the  hills 

As  red  as  red  could  be. 
And  not  a  leaf  was  moving  on 

Any  shrub  or  tree; 
The  little  birds  forgot  to  sing, 

The  winds  forgot  to  roam; 
"There's  nothing  to  do,"  said  Buddy 

"But  stay  around  at  home." 


Ji»h 


JUST  then  Old  Bob  the  gardener  came  along,  mopping 
his  brow  with  his  old,  red  bandana  handkerchief  which 
he  wore  tied  around  his  neck,  like  a  cowboy  in  a  wild 
west  movie. 

"O  Bob,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  "Isn't  it  hot?  I  don't  feel  as 
though  I'd  ever  be  cool  again!" 

"It  is,j"6>,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "for  the  last  week  in 
June,  it  is  about  as  hot  as  I've  ever  seen  it;  you  look  a  bit 
peaked,  Son,  seems  to  me,"  said  he,  sympathetically,  "has 
the  heat  got  hold  of  you?" 

"Oh,  I  don't  think  so,  Bob,"  said  the  little  fellow.  "But 
it  just  seems  as  though  there  were  not  a  thing  in  the  world 
to  do!" 

"Old  Dog  Sandy  seems  a  bit  tuckered  out,  too,"  said  Old 
Bob  the  gardener.  Old  Dog  Sandy,  stretched  out  flat  under 
a  lilac  bush,  didn't  bother  to  open  his  eyes.     Lie  just  thumped 


uddy  Jitrt  >,/::C^^ 

the  ground  feebly  with  his  tail.  It  was  too  hot  to  move^  if 
one  didn't  have  to,  but  one  must  always  be  polite! 

"Now  let's  see,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "there  should 
be  something  that  a  boy  could  do  on  a  hot  day,  and  get  some 
fun  out  of  it?     Can  you  swim?" 

"Some,"  said  Buddy  Jim.  "I  learned  in  the  pool  at  the 
gymnasium,  at  home — I  mean  in  the  city." 

"Pool!"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  contemptuously,  "run 
and  get  your  bathing  suit  and  I'll  take  you  down  to  the  old 
swimming  hole,  where  I  used  to  swim  when  I  was  your  age, 
and  where  I've  been  swimming  every  year  since!  I  think  I 
would  enjoy  a  swim  myself,  this  morning,"  he  added.  Buddy 
Jim  forgot  all  about  the  weather,  but  went  tearing  like  a 
small  whirl-wind  to  Mother,  asking  where  was  his  bathing  suit, 
and  hopping  excitedly  around  until  she  had  found  it.  He  was 
so  enthusiastic  that  he  could  hardly  wait  until  Old  Bob  the 
gardener  had  found  his  own  suit  and  was  ready  to  go.  Even 
Old  Dog  Sandy  waked  up  and  decided  to  go  along,  and  it  was 
a  happy  little  procession  which  went,  Indian  hie,  along  the 
narrow  path  which  led  through  the  alder  bushes  to  the  swim- 
ming hole. 

Someone  who  loved  boys  must  have  made  that  swimming 
hole.  The  sand  had  been  scooped  out  from  the  bed  of  the 
brook,  and  used  to  make  a  fine,  wide  beach;  the  brook  had 
been  made  deeper  and  wider,  and  a  big  old  tree  had  been  felled 
in  just  the  right  place  for  a  clean,  high  dive.  The  alders 
grew  thickly  around  the  beach,  and  made  the  nicest  dressing 
room  imaginable,  and  very  soon,  all  three,  the  old  man,  the 
little  boy,  and  the  old  dog  were  splashing  happily  around  in 
the  cool  water. 

Old  Bob  the  gardener  taught  Buddy  Jim  many  things  that 
he  had  not  learned  at  the  gymnasium;  how  to  tread  water  like 
a  dog,  how  to  keep  his  eyes  open  under  water,  and  how  to  lie 
on  his  back  and  just  float;  it  was  great  fun,  and  they  were 


i?*C^    Buddy  Jim, 

soon  as  cool  as  though  jolly  old  Mr.  Sun  had  not  tried  to  see 
how  hot  he  could  make  a  day  in  June. 

After  awhile  Old  Bob  the  gardener  said  that  they  had  been 
in  the  water  long  enough  for  one  day,  and  that  he  had  some 
work  to  do,  and  must  go  back,  but  Buddy  Jim  said  that  he 
was  going  to  stay  and  lie  on  the  beach  for  a  while;  it  was 
cooler  there. 

Old  Bob  the  gardener  said,  all  right,  if  he  wouldn't  go  in 
the  water  alone,  because  he  couldn't  yet  swim  well  enough  to 
go  in  alone,  and  Buddy  Jim  promised  that  he  would  not. 
Old  Bob  knew  that  when  Buddy  said  he  would  do  a  thing, 
that  it  was  just  as  good  as  done,  because  he  was  very  careful 
to  always  keep  his  word.  Mother  said  that  a  real  man  always 
did.     And  Buddy  Jim  meant  to  be  a  real  man. 

It  was  so  cool  and  comfy  there  under  the  alder  bushes  that 
Buddy  Jim  fell  fast  asleep,  and  then  he  was  aware  of  voices, 
and  that  Old  Dog  Sandy  was  grumbling  and  complaining  that 
"a  fellow  never  could  get  forty  winks,  but  that  someone  had 
to  chatter  and  wake  him  up." 

"Lie  down,  Sandy,"  whispered  Buddy  Jim,  "and  keep 
quiet."  The  old  dog  obeyed,  though  he  did  not  want  to, 
and  Buddy  Jim  crawled  quietly  over  towards  the  voices  and 
lay  very  still  until  they  began  again. 

"I  saw  it  first,"  said  a  queer  lispy  little  voice.  It  was  not 
a  very  good-natured  sounding  voice  either. 

"Why  the  very  idea,"  said  a  calm,  quiet,  little  voice, 
"how  can  you  say  so,  when  we  were  already  here  when  you 
arrived?  We  saw  it  first,  and  we  intend  to  keep  it;  isn't 
that  so,  Brother?" 

"Of  course,"  answered  another  little  voice,  "that's  what 
we  intend  to  do.  You  go  and  find  another  nest  it  you  are 
hungry." 

'No,  no,"  lisped  the  first  voice,  "this  nest  is  mine  and  I'm 
going  to  have  it." 


uddy  Jinx  ■>,.>::C^^ 

"Well  now,  Mrs.  Garter  Snake,"  said  the  first  little 
voice,  "you  know  well  enough  it's  no  good  wrangling;  we  are 
not  going  to  give  up  our  rights  to  you;  finding's  keepings; 
anyway  Mrs.  Snapping  Turtle  lays  so  many  eggs  that  very 
likely  there  will  be  some  left,  after  we  have  had  enough,  and 
we  don't  mind  sharing  them  with  you;  you  are  quite  welcome 
to  what  we  cannot  use." 

"All  right,"  said  Mrs.  Garter  Snake,  "go  on  and  dig  them 
out,  then,  because  I  want  to  get  back  home  to  my  children." 

Buddy  Jim  crawled  a  bit  nearer  to  see  if  he  could  discover 
who  the  little  neighbors  were  who  were  not  a  bit  afriad  of 
Mrs.  Garter  Snake. 

They  were  very  pretty  Little  Neighbors  indeed,  in  cool- 
looking  black-and-white  suits  and  they  were  as  frisky  as 
kittens.  It  was  only  the  work  of  a  moment  for  them  to  dig 
open  Mrs.  Snapping  Turtle's  nest  in  the  sand,  where  she  had 
trustingly  laid  her  eggs  to  be  hatched  out  by  kind  Mr.  Sun 
while  she  was  cool  and  happy  in  the  bed  of  the  brook,  or  swam 
around  catching  frogs  for  her  dinner. 

It  did  not  take  them  long  to  eat  their  lunch,  either, 
and  when  they  were  no  longer  hungry,  they  ran  away  together, 
laughing,  leaving  what  was  left  of  the  eggs  to  Mrs.  Garter 
Snake,  who  immediately  ate  them  and  then  rustled  away  out 
of  sight  among  the  bushes. 

"I  guess  that's  the  last  of  Mrs.  Snapping  Turtle's  chil- 
dren," said  Buddy  Jim  as  he  dressed,  "it  does  seem  too  bad, 
that  her  eggs  are  all  lost,  but  she  could  not  expect  anything 
else  to  happen.     Let's  go,  Sandy,"  he  called  to  the  old  dog. 

Old  Dog  Sandy  made  believe  that  he  didn't  hear;  he  knew 
that  the  Little  Neighbors  must  live  somewhere  near,  and  he 
wished  very  much  to  call  on  them;  they  had  spoiled  his  nap, 
and  he  wanted  to  give  them  a  chance  to  apologize. 

"Come  along,  Sandy,"  said  his  little  master,  who  knew  his 


T%X<   Buddy  Jim. 

tricks,  "I  know  what  you  want  to  do;  you  want  to  find  our 
Little  Neighbors,  and  you  know  I  do  not  allow  that!" 

After  lunch  Buddy  Jim  went  out  to  the  tool  house  to  find 
Old  Bob  the  gardener.  "Feel  better,  Son?"  asked  the  old 
man  kindly.  "I  feel  fine,  Bob,  thank  you,"  said  the  little 
fellow,  "but  I  want  to  ask  you  something.  Who  were  the 
Little  Neighbors  that  I  saw  digging  Mrs.  Snapping  Turtle's 
eggs  out  of  the  sand  this  morning?  They  were  black  and  white 
and  looked  something  like  Peter  the  Prowler,  only  much 
prettier.  Old  Dog  Sandy  wanted  to  go  after  them,"  he 
added,  "but  I  made  him  keep  away." 

Old  Bob  the  gardener  laughed.  "It's  a  good  thing  for 
him  that  you  did,"  said  he,  "and  for  all  the  rest  of  us,  too; 
that  was  Brother  and  Sister  Skunk!" 

"Why  is  it  a  good  thing,  Bob?"  asked  Buddy  Jim.  "They 
wTere  just  as  good-natured  as  could  be,  and  generous  also; 
they  let  Mrs.  Garter  Snake  have  part  of  the  eggs." 

"O  yes,  they're  generous"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener, 
"and  easy  to  get  along  with,  too,  if  you  let  them  alone;  I  hope 
Old  Dog  Sandy  was  not  enough  interested  in  them  to  go  back 
and  try  to  find  them,  because,  in  the  matter  of  perfume,  now, 
they're  more  than  generous." 

"O  yes,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  laughing,  "Now  I  remember!" 

But  Old  Dog  Sandy  didn't  remember;  he  just  couldn't 
forget;  and  he  told  himself  that  he  knew  the  way  back  there, 
and  that  no  black-and-white  kitteny  looking  things  like  that 
could  wake  him  up  without  explaining  why;  and  some  day,— 
well,  they'd  see. 


don  t  see  arty  Joke" 


c 


BUDDY  JIM  GOES  FISHING 

The  Bob-o-link  was  whistling 

His  merry -hearted  song. 
To  tell  his  name,  and  the  wondrous  news 

His  babes  would  fly  'fore  long; 
"I'd  like"  said  Buddy  Jim  "to  go 

A-fishing  in  the  brook, 
The  day  is  fine  and  all  I  ?7eed 

Is  a  rod,  and  line,  and  hook." 

OOK  in  the  upper  left  hand  drawer  of  my  work  table 
in  the  tool  house,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,"  and 
you  will  find  a  line  and  hooks.  You  can  cut  yourself 
an  alder  pole  for  a  rod." 

When  Buddy  Jim  had  found  the  tackle  and  had  cut  the 
alder  sapling  for  a  rod,  he  took  them  to  Old  Bob  the  gardener 
and  asked  him  to  help  him  put  them  together. 

"These  have  not  been  used,"  said  Bob,  "since  my  small 
city  cousin  was  down  here  a  few  summers  ago." 

"Did  he  catch  any  trout  in  the  brook?"  asked  Buddy  Jim. 
"No,  he  didn't,"  said  Bob,  "he  claimed  something  always 
chased  the  fish  away.  But  there's  noth'ng  in  the  brook 
except  some  little  spotted  trout,  anyway." 

"What  bait  shall  I  use?"  asked  Buddy  Jim.  "Angle- 
worms," said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "if  old  Robin  Red  Breast 
has  left  any.  He  has  fed  at  least  a  dozen  to  that  fat  child  of 
his  since  morning." 


tiddy Jinx   ->  >;\>^ ^ 

"I  believe  he  hears  them  walk,"  laughed  Buddy  Jim. 
''Just  look  at  him  with  his  head  on  one  side  listening.  If  I 
were  an  angleworm,  I  would  not  even  wiggle  while  he  was 


around. 

"W7 


Well,"  said  Old  Bob,  the  gardener,  "I  suppose  they  are 
his  meat." 

"Prob'ly,"  said  Buddy  Jim.  "But  he  must  spare  me  a 
few  for  bait.  I'll  get  mine  in  the  back  yard,  though,  because 
I  make  bigger  holes  getting  them  out  than  father  Robin  does." 

It  was  very  still  and  pleasant  down  by  the  brook,  under 
the  alder  trees. 

There  was  no  living  thing  in  sight,  except  a  whole  family  of 
Snapping  turtles,  asleep  on  a  log  which  had  fallen  partly  across 
the  brook  at  the  deepest  place. 

Buddy  Jim  baited  his  hook.  Then  he  cast  it  far  into  the 
deep  shadows  under  a  big  rock,  and  waited.  He  waited  a 
long  time.  Then  just  as  he  was  sure  he  felt  a  nibble,  the 
tiniest  turtle  jumped  "pl-o-o-m-p!"  into  the  water. 

"O  dear!"  said  Buddy  Jim.  "That  scared  away  my  fish!" 
He  pulled  in  his  line,  and  found  that  his  bait  was  gone.  So  he 
put  on  some  more,  and  tried  again. 

Then  just  as  he  was  certain  sure  that  he  felt  a  nibble, 
"pl-o-o-m-p !"  went  the  next  smallest  turtle. 

Patiently,  Buddy  Jim  put  on  more  bait,  and  tried  again. 
But  just  as  he  knew  he  had  a  bite  "pl-o-o-m-p!"  went  the 
third  turtle  into  the  water.  Once  more  he  tried,  and  again 
the  same  thing  happened.  Until  there  were  only  the  father 
and  mother  turtle  left  on  the  log. 

"I'm  going  to  drive  those  two  old  turtles  away,"  said 
Buddy  Jim.  So  he  threw  a  stone  and  hit  the  log,  but  the 
father  turtle  and  the  mother  turtle  did  not  stir.  "They  are 
sound  asleep,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  "I'll  try  again."  So  he  did. 
But  just  as  he  was  sure  he  had  a  nibble,  both  those  old  turtles 
woke  up  and  jumped  "Ker-plunk!"  into  the  water.     "Now," 


tiddyjitix 


said  Buddy  Jim,"  they  are  all  gone,  and  this  time  I'll  catch 
that  old  trout." 

But  just  as  he  got  his  bait  on  the  hook,  there  were  all  those 
meddlesome  turtles  back  on  the  log,  looking  as  though  they 
would  never  wake  up  in  the  world. 

"O,  what  a  joke!  O,  what  a  joke.  Ha  Ha  Ha-a,"  cried  a 
voice  very  near.  Buddy  Jim  looked  up.  There  was  Old  Jim 
Crow,  on  an  old  hemlock  stump,  dancing  with  glee,  and  nearly 
doubling  up  laughing. 

"I  don't  see  any  joke,"  said  Buddy  Jim. 

"That's  always  the  way  with  folks  when  the  joke  is  on 
them,"  gurgled  Old  Jim  Crow;  "they  never  can  see  it.  The 
joke  is  on  you  today,  instead  of  on  Old  Man  Kingfisher." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  those  turtles  jumped  in  the  water 
just  to  warn  the  fish?"  asked  Buddy  Jim,  his  eyes  wide  open. 

"Certainly  they  did,"  said  Old  Jim  Crow,  "that's  their 
regular  job.  There  are  always  some  of  Spotty  the  Trout's 
young  ones,  who  don't  know  any  better  than  to  nibble  at  hooks, 
and  go  near  enough  shore  so  they  can  be  caught  by  prowlers. 
So  they  must  be  looked  after." 

"Who  tries  to  catch  them?"  asked  Buddy  Jim.  "Well," 
said  Jim  Crow,  "Old  Man  Kingfisher  is  about  the  worst  one, 
and  then  there  is  Slinky  Minky,  and  always,  of  course,  boys, 
like  you,  who  come  fishing  just  for  fun.  Not  because  they 
need  fish  to  eat  at  all,  but  just  for  fun."  Buddy  Jim  some- 
how felt  very  small,  and  ashamed  of  himself.  "Fun!"  went 
on  Old  Jim  Crow.  "Destroying  a  beautiful  bit  of  life  just  for 
fun.     And  you  look  like  a  nice  boy,  too." 

"I  am  a  nice  boy,"  said  Buddy  Jim.  "Nobody  ever  told 
me  that  it's  wrong  to  catch  fish."  "It  isn't,"  said  Old  Jim 
Crow,  "if  you  need  them  to  eat.  But  it  would  take  six  of 
Spotty's  babies  to  make  a  mouthful." 

"Well,  I  may  as  well  go  home,"  said  Buddy  Jim.  "Old 
Bob  the  gardener  will  laugh  at  my  empty  basket." 


uddyjinx 


"Fill  it  full  of  wintergreen  berries,"  said  Old  Jim  Crow. 
"They  are  just  scrumptious  now.     Fat  and  mealy!" 

So  Buddy  Jim  lined  his  basket  with  fresh  green  leaves,  and 
then  gathered  enough  of  the  spicy  crimson  berries  to  fill  it. 

"Any  luck,  Son?"  asked  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "Well," 
said  Buddy  Jim,  "I  had  several  nibbles,  but  the  turtles  kept 
jumping  off  a  log  and  frightening  the  fish  away." 

"Same  old  trick,"  said  Bob  the  gardener.  "They've  been 
doing  that  ever  since  I  was  your  age.  But  I'll  take  you  down 
to  Long  Lake  some  day  next  week,  and  let  you  catch  some 
real  fish.     Perch  and  Pickerel  and,  like  enough,  an  eel." 

"O  Goody,  Goody!"  said  the  little  boy.  "Have  some 
berries,  Bob?"     "Iv'ry  Plums,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener. 

"I  thought  they  were  wintergreen  berries,"  said  Buddy 
Jim.  "Some  folks  call  'em  that,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener. 
"But  we  always  called  'em  iv'ry  plums.  See  any  one  else 
down  to  the  brook?"  he  asked. 

"Nobody  but  Old  Jim  Crow,"  said  Buddy  Jim.  "He 
prob'ly  had  one  eye  on  Mrs.  Snapping  Turtle,  hoping  to 
find  her  nest  full  of  eggs,"  said  Bob  the  gardener. 

Buddy  Jim,  opened  his  eyes  wide.  "Do  turtles  lay  eggs?" 
he  asked.     "Sure,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener.     "In  the  sand." 

"And  he  looked  like  such  a  nice  Crow,  too,"  said  Buddy 
Jim. 


r 


m  8 


BUDDY  JIM  AND  THE  HOUSE  MICE 

The  new  moon  up  above  the  world 

Looked  like  a  silver  boat 
That  some  wee  playmate  of  the  sky 

Had  launched  and  left  to  float; 
The  night  winds  all  went  laughing  by 

To  drive  the  heat  away; 
*' Almost  I  think"  said  Buddy  Jim, 

"I  like  flight  more  than  day!" 


T! 


(HAT  settles  it,  then,"  said  a  tiny,  squeaky  little  voice 
from  the  corner  of  the  sleeping  porch  where  Buddy 
was  cosily  tucked  in  bed,  "that  settles  it!  He  likes 
night  better  than  day;  so,  just  as  likely  as  not,  he  will  stay 
awake  all  night  to  enjoy  himself,  or  anyway  so  long  that  we 
shall  get  no  supper  at  all!  And  the  whole  family  so  hungry, 
too!" 

"Now  be  patient,  little  sister,"  said  another  little  voice. 
"That  is  not  a  grown-up  person,  there  in  the  bed, — that's  a 
boy,  and  boys  never  stay  awake  very  long.  It  won't  hurt 
us  to  wait  a  bit  for  our  supper.  My!"  he  went  on  in  a  lower 
tone,  "I  think  he  has  heard  us,  but  never  mind,  sister,  we  both 
know  the  way  out,  and  there  isn't  a  bit  of  danger." 

Buddy  had  heard  the  voices  and,  always  interested  in  his 
Little  Neighbors,  he  sat  up  in  bed  and  peered  into  the  corner 
of  the  porch  in  the  direction  of  the  voices — of  course  he  could 
not  see  a  thing,  but  he  knew  that  someone  must  be  there. 

So  he  called  very  softly,  "Who  are  you.  Little  Neighbors? 


ob  was  omtside 


tiddyjitxv 


"I'm  just  Buddy  Jim  and  I  won't  harm  you — you  must 
have  heard  of  me — I  live  here  in  this  house." 

"Oh,"  cried  both  little  voices  in  a  relieved  tone,  "You 
don't  know  what  a  load  you  have  taken  off  our  minds!  Why 
of  course  we  have  heard  of  you.  Mrs.  Harvest  Mouse  says 
that  you  really  saved  the  lives  of  her  whole  family  the  day 
Red-Headed  Woodpecker  came  to  collect  the  rent.  But 
you  see  that  was  different.  She  was  in  her  own  house  and 
we  are  in  yours,  and  for  some  reason  we  have  never  been  able 
to  find  out,  people  dislike  to  have  us  come  in  their  houses." 

"They  set  traps  for  us,"  said  Little  Sister  Mouse,  "and 
kill  us — and  we  are  no  good  to  them — our  fur  is  so  soft  that  it 
is  useless — and  then  the  cats!  Why!  we  are  in  constant 
fear  of  their  dreadful  claws!" 

"Yes  indeed,"  said  Brother  Mouse,  "we  never  came  in 
this  house  until  Old  Dog  Sandy  came  here  to  live  and  made 
Peter  Prowler  live  under  the  barn." 

"In  that  case,"  said  Buddy,  "I  can  not  imagine  why  you 
go  into  people's  houses.  I  would  certainly  not  go  where  I 
was  not  welcome." 

"Why,  dear  me,"  said  Brother  Mouse,  "we're  House  Mice 
—we  always  live  in  houses.  We  don't  know  why,  we  just 
know  it's  so!  and  we're  no  trouble  to  any  one;  we  take  only 
the  tiniest  crumbs  of  food,  when  Mary  the  cook  leaves  us  any- 
thing at  all — she  doesn't  often — and  the  children  are  so 
hungry  and  Mother  hasn't  a  bit  of  anything  in  the  nest 
to  give  them."  "And  they're  hungry,"  chimed  in  little  Sister 
House  Mouse. 

"What  would  you  like  for  their  supper,  and  yours  too?" 
asked  Buddy,  "because  I  think  I  can  get  you  something, 
and  it  you  will  promise  not  to  go  into  the  kitchen  again  I 
will  promise  to  leave  your  supper  wherever  you  say  every 
evening  this  summer.     Will  you  promise?" 


i, 


iiddyjim,  >,.>::C'^  ^f*r 


"Will  we?"  choroused  the  little  Mice,  "we  certainly  w//// 

Honest  'n  true  'n  Mack  and  blue." 

"Well,  then,"  said  Buddy,  "just  you  wait  right  where  you 
are—  "  and  he  slipped  out  of  bed  and  ran  to  the  kitchen. 

He  was  back  in  almost  no  time  at  all,  with  some  bread 
and  some  bits  of  cheese  and  a  cookie,  which  he  broke  into 
bits  and  placed  on  the  porch  floor,  and  then,  just  to  show  the 
little  neighbors  that  he  meant  to  play  fair,  he  hopped  back 
into  bed  again. 

It  just  did  his  kind  little  heart  good  to  hear  the  delighted 
squeals  of  the  Little  Neighbors  when  they  found  the  food. 
He  smiled  to  himself  as  he  heard  them  scamper  away  with  as 
much  as  they  could  carry.  It  was  only  a  moment  until  they 
were  back  again,  and  this  time  they  stayed  to  eat  their  own 
supper. 

"Mum,  mum,"  said  Sister  Mouse  with  her  mouth  full  of 
food,  "Mary  is  a  wonderful  cook!" 

"Where  do  you  live,  Little  Neighbors,"  asked  Buddy, 
"so  I  shall  know  where  to  leave  your  food  every  day." 

"Up  in  the  woodshed  loft,"  said  Brother  Mouse.  "We 
like  it  there,  because  there  is  always  moss  and  shavings  to 
make  warm  nests  of;  and  sometimes  Bob  the  gardener  leaves 
an  old  coat  there  for  us  to  chew  up  and  line  our  nests  with. 
But  we  must  go  home  now  and  let  you  go  to  sleep,  because 
you  must  be  very  sleepy." 

"No  indeed,"  said  Buddy,  "I'm  really  not  sleepy  at  all,  and 
I've  loved  to  have  you  visit  me!" 

"We  are  so  grateful  to  you,"  said  Brother  House  Mouse, 
"and  we  both  wish  we  could  do  something  for  you.  Would 
you  care  to  hear  us  sing,  so  long  as  you're  not  so  very  sleepy?" 

Buddy  laughed.  "That  would  be  lovely  "  he  said.  "Just 
like  little  Tommy  Tucker,  who  sang  for  his  supper.  But  can 
you  sing?     Let's  hear  you,"  he  invited,  eagerly. 


^^      <    Buddy Jitrt 

There  was  a  soft  little  scrambling  sound,  and  then,  in 
the  moonlight,  Buddy  saw  on  his  bed  rail  two  grey  Little 
Neighbors.  It  was  Brother  Mouse,  holding  Sister  Mouse 
by  the  hand.  They  were  bowing  and  looking  for  all  the 
world  like  the  two  little  concert  singers  that  they  were. 

They  made  no  excuses,  they  did  not  even  say  they  were 
out  of  practice,  nor  that  they  couldn't  think  what  to  sing, 
but  began  in  the  sweetest  of  small  voices  to  sing  what  sounded 
to  Buddy  like  a  little  lullaby. 

Buddy  lay  very  still.  He  was  delighted  with  the  song, 
but  he  did  not  dare  to  applaud,  because  he  was  afraid  that 
his  Little  Neighbors  would  not  understand.  Not  being  much 
used  to  singing  to  mortals,  they  might  be  frightened  at  the 
noise. 

But  what  do  you  think?  Before  he  even  knew  that  he 
was  sleepy,  and  while  he  was  enjoying  the  concert,  he  went 
fast  asleep. 

And  the  next  thing  he  knew,  Old  Bob  the  gardener  was 
outside,  wanting  to  know  if  he  meant  to  stay  in  bed  all  day. 

"Bob,"  said  Buddy,  "have  you  ever  heard  a  House  Mouse 
sing?"  "No,  Buddy,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "I  never 
have,  but  I  have  talked  with  folks  who  say  they  have  heard 
them." 

"Well,  Bob,"  insisted  the  little  boy,  "do  you  believe  they 
can  sing?" 

"Why,  yes,  Buddy,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "I  believe 
everything  until  I  find  out  for  certain  that  it  isn't  so.  It's 
much  the  happiest  way,  don't  you  think?" 

"Your  ways  are  all  happy  ways,  Bob,"  said  Buddy. 
"You're  the  best  chum  ever!" 


I 


w 


fc:* 


5 


I  did'rtt  look,  behind  me 


i? 


BUDDY  JIM  SEES  MADAME  MINK 

'Twas  a  misty \  moisty  morning 

And  the  big  clouds  overhead 
Looked  'ike  balloons  all  weighted  down 

With  tons  and  tons  of  lead; 
The  trees  held  up  their  dusty  leaves 

For  a  freshening  drink  of  rain, 
"It's  plain  to  see"  said  Buddy  Jim, 

"It's  going  to  rain  again.'' 

EVEN  Robin  Redbreast  knew  it,  and  sang  his  "cheer  up" 
song  from  the  topmost  bough  of  the  old  elm  tree,  as 
much  as  to  say,  "What's  a  little  wetting,  anyway?" 
And  the  chickens  knew  it  and  went  singing  dolefully  about 
because  they  didn't  like  wet  weather;  and  Mother  Duck  and 
her  twelve  yellow  ducklings  knew  it,  and  went  about  quacking 
merrily  and  looking  happy  because  they  did  like  it;  and  Buddy 
Jim  knew  it  and  didn't  care  either  way;  he  liked  the  rain  or  he 
liked  the  shine.  But  first,  he  thought  he  would  go  and  see 
what  Old  Bob  the  Gardener  was  doing. 

He  found  Bob  in  the  tool  house,  reeling  up  some  fasci- 
nating-looking fishing  lines. 

Old  Bob  looked  up  as  Buddy  Jim  entered,  smiling  in  his 
cheery  way,  and  the  little  boy  thought  that  as  long  as  Bob 
smiled  that  way  he  didn't  care  how  much  it  rained. 

"Like  to  go  fishing  with  me,  over  to  Long  Lake,  Son?" 


xiddy  Jitrt 


asked  Bob.  "I  promised  you  I'd  take  you  fishing  some  day, 
and  this  is  going  to  be  a  good  day  for  the  fish  to  rise." 

"Would  I?"  said  Buddy  Jim.  "Thanks  for  asking  me; 
Bob,  and  I'll  be  ready  in  no  time." 

"Be  ready  in  half  an  hour  from  now,"  said  Old  Bob  the 
Gardener,  "and  ask  Mary  the  cook  to  put  us  up  some  lunch, 
because  we  shall  be  gone  all  day.  I'll  go  and  harness  ok] 
Maud." 

By  the  time  that  Old  Bob  the  gardener  was  at  the  door 
with  Maud  and  the  buggy,  Buddy  Jim  was  ready. 

He  looked  exactly  like  a  little  fisherman  in  his  yellow 
slicker,  and  long  rubber  boots,  with  his  old  felt  hat  turned 
down.  Mother  laughed  as  she  kissed  him  "goodbye"  and 
wished  him  luck. 

It  was  great  fun  riding  along  the  road  through  the  woods, 
and  listening  to  the  rain  falling  on  the  leaves.  But  there 
wasn't  a  thing  in  sight  except  a  flock  of  crows. 

"Have  you  aways  lived  around  here,  Bob?"  asked  Buddy 
Jim. 

"Sure,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "ever  since  I  was  a 
baby;  right  over  in  that  field  yonder  was  where  I  used  to  go 
to  school;  the  school  house  is  gone  now,  and  there's  nothing 
left  to  mark  the  place  except  a  clump  of  lilac  bushes  that  I 
helped  the  teacher  to  set  out  one  spring  day,  when  I  wasn't 
a  mite  bigger  than  you  are  now." 

"I  remember  that  day  well,"  he  went  on.  "I  was  late 
getting  the  bushes  planted  and  so  I  took  a  short  cut  through 
these  woods  and  just  as  I  got  about  where  we  are  now,  who 
should  come  from  behind  a  big  hemlock  tree  but  old  lady 
Black  Bear,  thin  as  a  rail  from  her  long  winter  sleep,  and 
looking  hungry." 

"My!"  said  Buddy  Jim,  his  eyes  wide  open.  "What  did 
you  do?" 

"I'm  afraid  I  was  rude  to  the  lady,"  said  Old  Bob,  "because 


tiddyjittv 


I  did  not  even  wish  her  'good  evening,' — I  ran  for  home  just 
as  fast  as  my  legs  could  carry  me." 

"Did  she  run  after  you?"  breathlessly  asked  Buddy  Jim. 

The  old  man  laughed.  "I  couldn't  truthfully  say,"  said 
he,  "I  didn't  look  behind  me." 

"I  think  I  should  have  done  the  same  thing,"  said  Buddy 
Jim. 

"And  I  wouldn't  blame  you,  Son,"  said  Old  Bob  the 
gardener,  "but  here  we  are,  hook,  line,  and  sinker,  and  we 
will  soon  find  out  if  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perch  are  at  home." 

As  soon  as  old  Maud  was  hobbled  and  turned  loose  to 
graze,  Buddy  Jim  and  Old  Bob  the  gardener  launched  the 
old  flat-bottomed  boat  at  the  landing,  and  began  fishing. 

Bob  "baited"  the  hooks,  and  they  both  cast  off.  Old 
Bob  the  gardener  caught  the  first  fish,  a  beautiful  big  perch, 
and  in  no  time  at  all  Buddy  Jim  had  one  also. 

It  was  such  good  fishing  that  they  soon  had  all  they  wanted, 
and  Old  Bob  the  gardener  said  that  they  would  go  ashore 
now.  But  Buddy  Jim  begged  so  hard  for  just  one  more  cast 
that  Old  Bob  said,  "all  right,"  and  stooped  to  put  the  fish  in 
the  basket. 

A  startled  exclamation  from  Buddy  Jim  made  him  turn, 
just  in  time  to  catch  the  little  chap  as  he  was  going  head 
first  out  of  the  boat. 

"Here,  Son,"  said  the  old  man  as  he  pulled  him  back 
into  the  boat,  "aren't  you  wet  enough  yet?" 

"O,  Bob,"  panted  the  little  fellow,  "I've  got  a  bite — and 
1  think  it's  a  whale — he  pulls  so — help  me  land  him."  So 
together  the)'  pulled  him  in — about  two  feet  of  wiggly, 
snaky-looking  fish! 

"What  is  it,  Bohr"  asked  Buddy  Jim.  "I  don't  like  him 
—he  isn't  pretty!"  "It's  an  eel,"  said  old  Bob  the  gardener, 
laughing,  "do  you  want  to  keep  him  or  shall  I  throw  him 
overboard  ?" 


tiddyjitrt  •■>;•'•;■  '''^  tpt 

''Deed  I  do  want  to  keep  him,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  proudly, 
"I  want  to  show  him  to  Mother." 

"All  right,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "but  he  can't  go 
in  the  basket  with  the  regular  fish.  And  now  we'll  go  ashore 
and  cook  some  of  our  catch  for  our  luncheon." 

"How  can  we  make  a  fire,  Bob?"  asked  Buddy  Jim. 
"Everything's  wet." 

"That's  easy,"  said  Bob,  "I'll  go  over  in  the  woods  and 
gather  some  birch  bark,  and  you  may  pick  up  some  small 
twigs  that  will  dry  quickly,  and  pile  them  on  that  flat  rock  by 
the  water's  edge." 

It  took  only  a  few  minutes  for  Buddy  Jim  to  gather  a 
big  pile  of  the  small  dead  twigs  and  branches,  and  then  he 
sat  down  on  another  rock  to  look  at  his  big  eel  and  think 
about  the  fun  it  had  been  to  land  him. 

There  was  no  sound  at  all  except  the  gentle  splashing  of  the 
rain,  when  Buddy  Jim  heard  soft  footsteps,  and  then  voices. 
"Now,  isn't  that  a  shame?"  said  a  voice.  "Some  one  has 
been  catching  our  fish  again,  right  out  of  our  own  lake!" 

"Ssh,  Children,"  said  an  older  voice,  "keep  quiet — some 
one  may  hear  you.  They  have  gone  away  and  left  the  basket 
open,  and  I  will  go  and  get  the  fish  back  again.  Just  wait 
here  and  keep  quiet. 

Buddy  Jim  kept  quiet,  because  he  very  much  wished  to 
know  which  Little  Neighbor  it  was;  so  quiet  indeed,  that  Mrs. 
American  Mink  came  fully  into  sight  before  she  saw  him. 
Buddy  Jim  knew  her  at  once,  because  her  picture  was  in  one 
of  his  Nature  books;  and  he  knew  also  that  she  is  very  fond 
of  fish  to  eat. 

She  was  very  much  surprised  when  she  saw  Buddy  Jim 
and  immediately  tried  to  look  just  like  a  bit  of  brown  earth, 
but  Buddy  Jim  spoke,  and  she  knew  she  had  been  seen. 

"How  do  you  do,  Little  Neighbor,"  said  he,  "and  what 
can  I  do  for  you?" 


uddyjinx 


"You  can  go  away  from  here,  and  stay  away,  and  not 
come  catching  my  fish,"  said  Mother  Mink,  very  crossly. 
"How  do  you  think  I  can  make  a  living  for  my  children,  if 
you  come  and  take  the  food  away  from  me?" 

Buddy  Jim  laughed.  "Don't  be  impolite,  Little  Neighbor," 
he  said.  "The  fish  belong  to  us  all,  but  I'm  willing  you 
should  have  your  share." 

"I'm  going  to  take  my  share  whether  you  are  willing  or 
not,"  said  Mother  Mink,  and  without  saying  "thank  you," 
she  grabbed  Buddy  Jim's  big  eel  and  ran  away  with  it! 

Buddy  Jim  looked  after  her  in  astonishment!  No  other 
Little  Neighbor  had  ever  been  so  impolite. 

Just  then  Old  Bob  the  gardener  came  back  with  a  load 
of  birch  bark.  Buddy  Jim's  throat  felt  a  little  choky,  but  he 
was  brave  about  it. 

"Mrs.  Mink  called  to  see  me  while  you  were  away,  Bob," 
he  said,  "and  she  took  my  big  eel  away  with  her." 

"Well,  well!"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "wasn't  she 
bold?  She  must  have  had  young  ones  with  her.  But  don't 
you  care,  Son,  Mary  wouldn't  have  cooked  him  anyway, 
She  thinks  eels  aren't  fish." 

"I  wanted  to  show  him  to  Mother,"  said  Buddy  Jim, 
"He  was  such  a  big  one." 

"We'll  go  out  again  right  after  lunch,"  said  Old  Bob  the 
gardener,  "I  know  where  there's  a  pickerel  hole,  and  a 
pickerel  is  a  regular  fish!" 


L 


ittle  Aierrrten  artd  Mermaids 
were  playing  all  aroxirtd  him 


BUDDY  JIM,  MRS.  WEASEL  AND  LITTLE 
MOTHER  BOB  WHITE. 

The  cobwebs  were  a-glistening, 

Dew-spangled,  all  about; 
As  though  the  j airy  folk  had  spread 

Their  dainty  washing  out; 
The  wild  rose  wore  her  pinkest  gown, 

And  saucy  old  Blue-Jay 
Called  out  for  all  the  world  to  hear, 

11  Strawberries  are  ripe  today F 

THAT'S  so,  Mr.  Blue-Jay,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener, 
as  he  came  by  the  place  where  Buddy  Jim  was 
weeding  his  vegetable  garden,  "that's  so;  wild 
ones  too,  and  I  only  wish  I  had  time  to  go  and  gather  some." 

"Why,  Bob,"  said  Buddy  Jim.  "Are  wild  strawberries 
any  better  than  the  big  ones  that  you  grow  in  the  garden  ?" 

"Better!"  exclaimed  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "better! 
Well  I  should  think  so!  Wild  strawberries  are  the  sweetest 
things  that  grow!  Only  wish  that  I  were  going  to  have  some 
for  my  breakfast  tomorrow  morning." 

"Well,  you're  going  to  have  some,"  said  Buddy  Jim, 
"if  you  will  tell  me  where  they  grow,  for  I'll  go  and  get  enough 
for  us  both,  and  we'll  eat  breakfast  right  out  here  on  the 
porch,   together!" 

"Do  you  see  that  open  patch  of  ground  off  yonder  in  the 
far  field?"  asked  Old  Bob  the  gardener.    "Well,  that's  where 


^       Buddy  Jinx  ^  t* 

they  grow;  around  the  edge  of  the  old  stone  wall  is  where 
the  best  ones  will  be." 

"I  like  to  pick  berries,"  said  Buddy  Jim.  "I'll  ask  Mary 
to  let  me  have  a  pail  to  put  them  in,  and  go  right  away  to 
get  them." 

"The  dew  will  be  nicely  dried  up  before  you  get  over  there," 
said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "and  it  will  be  fine  picking;  if  I 
were  not  so  busy  I'd  go  with  you." 

Mary  had  a  pail,  all  nice  and  shiny,  which  used  to  hold 
lard,  and  she  was  very  glad  to  lend  it  to  Buddy  Jim,  who 
first  ran  to  tell  Mother  goodbye,  and  then,  whistling  to  Old 
Dog  Sandy  to  come  along,  was  off  across  the  fields. 

It  was  a  very  pleasant  run  across  the  dewy  meadows 
and  they  met  no  one  at  all  except  Mrs.  Black  Garter  Snake 
who  was  out  looking  for  breakfast  for  herself  and  children, 
and  it  was  not  very  long  before  they  came  to  the  place  where 
the  berries  were,  and  Buddy  Jim  began  to  pick  them.  They 
were  so  large  and  plentiful  that  he  soon  had  his  pail  full.  He 
covered  them  from  the  heat  of  the  sun  with  a  big  burdock 
leaf  which  he  picked  from  the  side  of  the  stone  wall,  and  put- 
ting them  aside  he  began  picking  some  to  eat. 

Then  he  thought  he  would  rest  before  going  home,  so  he 
stretched  out  on  his  back  and  fell  fast  asleep  and  dreamed 
that  he  was  afloat  on  a  calm,  blue  ocean  in  a  little  white  boat, 
surrounded  by  mermen  and  maidens.  Suddenly  he  was 
awakened  by  Old  Dog  Sandy  who  was  barking  furiously. 

"Now  I  wonder  what's  the  matter  with  Sandy?"  said  he 
to  himself,  running  as  fast  as  he  could  go  in  the  direction  of 
the  sounds.      "That  isn't  a  fun  bark;  that's  a  business  bark!" 

He  found  Old  Dog  Sandy  doing  his  best  to  climb  a  big 
hawthorn  tree  that  grew  near  the  side  of  the  old  stone  wall, 
all  the  time  barking  as  loudly  as  he  could.  He  was  not  suc- 
ceeding very  well  in  climbing  the  tree,  but  he  was  sending  a 


1?*Z. ::::C,    Buddy  Ji*tv 

very  earnest  warning  to  whatever  was  in  the  tree  that  it  would 
be  much  better  not  to  come  down  again,  or  something  would 
be  sure  to  happen. 

"What  is  it,  Sandy?"  asked  Buddy  Jim,  but  Old  Dog 
Sandy  was  too  busy  to  pay  attention  to  his  little  master, 
and  besides,  he  wanted  to  attend  to  this  matter  himself — 
the  long,  slim,  brown,  cruel  thing  hidden  among  the  branches 
of  the  hawthorn  tree  really  needed  a  good  shaking,  and  he, 
Old  Dog  Sandy,  was  just  the  dog  to  give  it  to  him. 

So  he  paid  no  attention  to  his  master,  and  did  not  answer, 
but  a  queer,  chuckling  little  voice  from  the  top  of  the  old 
stone  wall  did. 

"It  was  Mrs.  Weasel  who  ran  up  in  the  tree,"  said  the 
chuckling  little  voice.  "She  was  determined  that  she  would 
have  one  of  my  children  for  lunch,  and  almost  caught  one, 
when  your  old  dog  came  along  and  made  her  stop.  Goodness 
only  knows  what  might  have  happened  if  he  had  not  come 
just  at  that  moment." 

"You're  little  Mrs.  Bob  White,  aren't  you?"  asked  Buddy 
Jim.  "Why  didn't  you  and  your  children  fly  away  or  hide 
somewhere?" 

"Why,"  said  Mrs.  Bob  White,  "my  children  cannot  fly 
•yet.  They're  only  about  three  weeks  old,  just  little  bits  of 
chickens,  and  as  for  hiding  from  Mrs.  Weasel  or  her  young 
ones,  it  simply  can't  be  done— she  is  so  slender  she  can  go 
anywhere,  and  if  we  run  away  from  her  we  are  likely  to  run 
right  into  the  jaws  of  one  of  her  young  ones — they  hunt 
together  you  see,  and  they're  almost  sure  to  get  one  of  us— 
I  don't  know  what  to  do.  T  simply  can't  move  away  from 
here  until  the  children  are  older." 

Buddy  Jim  thought  a  minute.  It  seemed  as  though  there 
must  be  some  way  to  help  the  little  mother.  "I'll  tell  you," 
he  said,  "Sandy  seems   to   be  very   much   interested  in  Mrs. 


uddy  Jitrt      V     ^  ^p? 

Weasel,  and  I'm  sure  he  will  be  glad  to  run  down  here  every 
day,  and  perhaps  Mrs.  Weasel  will  let  you  alone  when  she 
sees  that  you  have  friends." 

"O  thank  you,  Neighbor,"  said  little  Mrs.  Rob  White, 
"That  will  be  such  a  help!" 

Just  then  came  a  clear  call  from  across  the  fields.  "Bob 
White,  Bob  White,  Bob,  Bob  White." 

Instantly  little  Mrs.  Bob  White  answered,  "Ooo,  ooh! 
.///right,  Bob  White." 

"That  was  Daddy  calling  to  see  if  we  were  safe  and  happy," 
said  the  little  mother.  "He  always  does  that  if  he  has  to  be 
away  from  home." 

Just  then  came  another  call,  "Hoo,  oo,  Hoo,  oo."  Buddy 
Jim  laughed.  "That's  Old  Bob  the  gardener  calling  me  home 
to  lunch,"  said  he,  "so  goodbye,  and  the  best  of  luck,  Little 
Mother  Quail." 

"Get  any  berries?"  asked  Old  Bob  the  gardener.  "Lots," 
answered  Buddy  Jim,  "and  I'll  get  some  more  tomorrow, 
because  I'm  going  down  again.  Old  Dog  Sandy  wouldn't 
come  home  with  me — he  has  a  new  job  down  in  the  far 
field." 

"What  sort  of  a  job?"  asked  Old  Bob  the  gardener.  He 
was  always  so  interested  in  things. 

"He  is  going  to  protect  little  Mrs.  Bob  White  and  het 
family  from  Mrs.  Weasel,"  said  Buddy  Jim. 

"He  has  his  work  cut  out'for  him  then,"  said  old  Bob  the 
gardener,  "because  Mrs.  Weasel  is  a  very  clever  lady,  and 
fond  of  small  quail.  If  she  is  working  around  here  I  think 
I'll  set  a  trap  in  the  chicken  yard,  just  as  a  hint  to  her  to  keep 
away   from   our  chickens." 

"Would  she  dare  to  come  up  here?"  asked  Buddy  Jim. 
"She  would  so"  laughed  Old  Bob  the  gardener. 

Buddy  Jim  sighed.  "What  makes  Mrs.  Weasel  so  cruel 
and  dishonest,  Bob?"  he  asked. 


kiddy  Jim. 


"She  isn't  'specially,"  answered  the  old  man,  "she  has  to 
get  food  for  her  family,  and  that's  her  way  of  doing  it." 

"But  she  frightens  little  Mrs.  Bob  White  so,  and  it  seems 
so  cruel,"  said  the  little  boy,  who  wanted  all  his  Little  Neighbors 
to  be  happy. 

"Yes,  I  know,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "but  I  have  no 
doubt  that  the  bugs  and  caterpillars  that  little  Mrs.  Bob 
White  catches  feel  quite  the  same  way  about  her,  that  she 
does   about  Mrs.  Weasel. 

"Like  to  help  me  transplant  some  more  plants  before 
supper  time?" 

"Sure  would,"  said  Buddy  Jim  as  he  went  to  give  Mother 
some  wild  strawberries  for  her  luncheon. 


It  looked  like  a  very  tiny 
A-ir-plarte 


BUDDY  JIM  AND  THE  FLYING  SQUIRRELS  . 

'Twas  lots  of  fun  to  help  the  men 

Bring  in  the  new-mown  hay; 
Far  better  than  the  newest  game 

A  boy  could  ever  play; 
"There  couldn't  be"  said  Buddy  Jim, 

"A  happier  time  for  you 
Than  haying  time ,  for  it's  so  full 

Of  jolly  things  to  do." 

BUDDY  JIM   was  a  bit  hot  and   tired  when    the   last 
load  of  hay  had  been  stowed  away  in  the  loft  in  the 
barn. 
It  was  almost  time  for  supper  he  knew,  but  it  was  so  cool 
and  dim  up  there  under  the  rafters,  and  the  hay  was  so  cool 
and  fragrant,  that  he  decided  he  would  stay  and  take  a  little 
rest. 

And  you  know  how  it  is;  when  you're  a  bit  weary  and  very 
comfy;  well,  Buddy  Jim  nearly  fell  asleep. 

But  just  as  he  was  on  the  thin  edge  of  dreamland,  he  woke 
up.  And  he  heard  voices!  Very  earnest  little  voices,  too, 
they  were. 

"Don't  worry,  Mother,"  said  one  little  voice,  "I  don't 
believe  there  will  be  many  more  loads  of  hay  this  year.  And 
anyway  it  will  never,  I'm  sure,  reach  up  as  high  as  this  cross 
beam  we  are  on.     I  don't  think  we  shall  have  to  move." 

"I  would  not  take  the  chance  of  staying  in  this  nest  one 
single  day  more,"  answered  a  second  little  voice.  "Why, 
there  was  one  time  this  afternoon  whey  I  thought  surely  that 
our  home  and  our  babies  were  going  to  be  ab-so-lute-ly  covered 
up  under  great  forks-ful  of  hay. 

"So  we  are  going  to  move,  Daddy,"  went  on  the  voice, 
"and  we  are  going  to  move  tins  very  night!" 

"O  well,  if  you  feel  that  way  about  it,"  said  the  first  voice, 
"1  will  look  around  while  I'm  out  to  dinner,  and  see  if  \  can 
rind  a  new  place." 


Buddy  Jitiv    >>    >^^ 

"Yes,  Daddy,  please  do  that"  said  the  second  little  voice 
earnestly  "and  while  you  are  out,  I'll  get  the  children  to  sleep, 
so  they  won't  be  stupid  when  moving  time  comes." 

Then  there  came  the  sound  of  something  almost,  but  not 
quite,  like  the  flutter  of  wings,  and  Buddy  Jim  was  surprised 
to  see  what  looked  like  a  very  tiny  air-plane  sailing  across 
the  loft  and  out  at  the  window  that  had  been  left  open  for 
the  barn  swallows. 

"Now  I  wonder,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  "who  these  funny  little 
people  can  be?"  Just  then  across  the  loft,  came  the  sound  of 
a  little,  croony,  sleepy-time  song.  Just  the  kind  of  a  song 
that  mothers  the  world  over  sing  to  their  babies  at  bed  time. 

Presently  it  died  away,  and  all  was  still,  and  Buddy  Jim 
knew  that  the  babies,  whoever  they  were,  had  gone  to  sleep. 

"I'm  going  to  find  out  who  that  is,"  said  he,  crawling  softly 
across  the  hay  towards  the  place  from  where  the  sound  of  the 
voices  and  the  singing  had  come.  Presently,  in  the  dim  light 
he  could  just  make  out  a  tiny  creature  in  a  tawny  dress  sitting 
on  a  tuft  of  hay.  She  had  been  daintily  munching  the  seeds 
from  a  buttercup  stalk.  But  now  she  sat  very  still.  Buddy 
sat  very  still,  too.  He  knew  that  the  small  Mother  person 
had  seen  him. 

But  she  did  not  run  away.  She  couldn't,  you  see.  Be- 
cause her  precious  babies  were  there.  So  she  sat  quite  still 
and  hoped  that  Buddy  Jim  had  not  seen  her. 

"Don't  be  afraid  of  me,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  "I'm  just  a 
neighbor,  and  I  won't  hurt  you." 

"My!  you  make  me  breathe  easier,"  said  the  small 
Mother  person,  "most  boys  would  drive  me  away  and  take  my 
babies  away  to  live  in  one  of  those  dreadful  prisons  they  call 
cages.  My!  I'm  glad  that  you  are  not  that  kind  of  boy. 
Why,"  she  went  on,  "we  came  into  this  hay  loft  to  live 
because  we  thought  there  wasn't  a  boy  on  the  farm." 


tiddyjitxv 


"There  wasn't  until  my  Daddy  bought  it,"  said  Buddy 
Jim.  "We  came  in  the  Springtime.  Daddy  wants  me  to 
know  all  about  my  little  country  neighbors.  You  see  I'm 
from  the  city,  and  I've  never  seen  many  wild  creatures — 
nobody  but  Reddy  Bat — so  I  just  want  to  know  them  all. 
I  wouldn't  hurt  your  babies,  and  I  wouldn't  think  of  taking 
them  away." 

"Well,  that  surely  makes  me  feel  better,"  said  the  little 
Mother  person. 

"But  won't  you  please  tell  me  your  name?"  said  Buddy 
Jim.  "Why,  surely,"  said  the  small  Mother  person,  "we  are 
the  Flying  Squirrels,  though  we  of  course  do  not  really  fly,  we 
just  get  our  balance  and  sail  through  the  air.  Like  this," 
she  said,  giving  a  little  jump  and  sailing  across  the  loft  and 
back  again. 

"I  heard  you  planning  to  move,"  said  Buddy  Jim.  "Why! 
This  is  such  a  safe  big  place  for  the  babies  to  play  around  in." 

"That's  what  we  thought,"  said  Mother  Flying  Squirrel, 
"and  that  is  why  we  moved  into  Barn  Swallow's  old  nest 
instead  of  making  one  for  ourselves — he  isn't  using  it  this 
year — see,  it's  up  on  that  cross-beam.  But  now  that  they  are 
filling  the  barn  so  full  of  hay,  I'm  afraid  my  children  will  be 
buried  under  it,  so  Father  Squirrel  has  gone  out  to  see  if  he 
can  find  us  a  new  place  to  live  in." 

"Wait  a  minute,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  "I  think  I  can  help  you. 
You  just  sit  tight  until  I  come  back." 

Buddy  Jim  slid  down  from  the  hayloft  and  went  out  to  his 
own  little  work  bench  which  Daddy  had  given  him.  There 
he  hunted  until  he  found  just  what  he  wanted.  It  was  a 
wooden  box  that  used  to  hold  soap.  In  a  few  minutes  with 
hammer  and  nails  he  had  made  just  the  nicest  little  house  you 
could  wish  for.  And  then  he  covered  the  floor  of  it  with  soft, 
fine  shavings,  and  took  it  back  to  the  hayloft. 


uddy  Jitrt 


Then  he  climbed  up  on  the  cross  beam,  and  nailed  the 
house  way  up  high,  so  high  that  the  hay  just  never  could  come 
up  to  it. 

And  then  he  sat  down  to  watch  little  Mother  Flying 
Squirrel  move.  First  she  fixed  the  shavings  to  suit  herself. 
Then,  for  fear  it  was  not  soft  enough  she  got  some  hay  and  put 
that  in  and  trampled  it  down. 

Then  she  moved  the  babies,  taking  one  at  a  time,  in  her 
mouth,  just  the  way  Tabby  the  Cat  moves  hers.  When  they 
were  all  safely  in  the  new  nest,  she  sat  up  on  the  top  of  the 
house  to  look  for  Daddy  Flying  Squirrel. 

Presently  he  came  in  and  sailed  straight  over  to  where  his 
house  used  to  be. 

You  should  have  seen  his  face!  But  Mother  Squirrel 
called,  "We've  moved,  we  live  up  here  now." 

"Well,  well,"  said  Daddy  Flying  Squirrel,  "where  did  you 
ever  get  this  house?     And  where  are  the  babies?" 

"All  safely  tucked  in  bed,  bless  their  hearts,"  said  Mother 
Flying  Squirrel.  "This  house  is  a  present  from  our  new 
neighbor,  Buddy  Jim.     There  he  is  over  there  on  the  hay." 

"A  Boy!"  gasped  Daddy  Flying  Squirrel.  "Now  we  shall 
have  to  move." 

"Indeed  we  won't"  said  Mother  Flying  Squirrel,  "Buddy 
Jim  is  the  right  kind  of  a  boy.  He  takes  care  of  small  creatures 
instead  of  hurting  them." 

Just  then  came  the  call  to  supper.  "Where  have  you  been 
so  long  Buddy  Jim?"  asked  his  father. 

"I  was  fixing  a  house  for  the  fiying  Squirrels  and  their 
babies,  up  in  the  hay  loft,  Daddy,"  answered  the  little  boy. 
"I'm  going  to  tame  them.  I'm  going  to  get  them  so  tame 
that  they  will  eat  out  of  my  hand  before  the  summer  is  over." 

"He  will  do  it,  too,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener  to  Mary  the 
maid.  "All  the  little  animals  around  the  place  seem  to  love 
Buddy.     He's  so  good  to  them." 


...       ■  ■  ■-- -~—4T 


- 


^  ft-v 


BUDDY  JIM  AND  MOLLY  COTTON-TAIL 

The  lovely  Blackeyed  Susans 

J) 7 ere  nodding  drowsily , 
And  the  Katy-dids  were  singing 

In  the  old  red  cherry  tree, 
The  dusky,  ripe  blueberries  called 

An  invitation  sweet 
"Come  Buddy  Jim,  come  up  and  see 

How  good  we  are  to  eat." 

BUDDY  JIM  ran  around  the  house  to  the  back  porch 
where  Mary  the  cook  was  busy  shelling  green  peas 
for  dinner. 
"I  wonder  what  kind  of  pie  I  can  have  for  dessert  tonight," 
she  said.  "The  red  raspberries  are  all  gone,  so  Old  Bob  the 
gardener  says,  and  I'm  tired  of  pie-plant,  aren't  you,  Buddy?" 
"I  was  just  thinking  I  would  go  and  get  some  blueberries," 
said  Buddy  Jim,  "and  I'll  get  some  so  you  can  make  a  pie,  if 
you  want  me  to,  Mary." 

"Bless  the  lad,"  said  Mary  the  cook,  "that  will  be  fine. 

Wait  till  I  make  you  some  sandwiches,  and  find  a  pail  for  the 

i        •      >> 

berries. 

So  with  one    pocket    full   of  doughnuts   and   one  full     of 

sandwiches  and  one  full  of  cookies — (you  never  can  tell  how 

hungry  a  boy  is  going  to  get  when  he  is  working  hard  picking 

berries,  so   Mary   the  cook  said)    -Buddy  Jim   called    to    Old 

Dog  Sandy  and  started  for  the  blueberry  bushes. 


Old  Bob  the  gardener  was  very  proud  c  f  those  bushes. 
He  had  found  them  many  years  before,  bravely  growing  in  the 
open  pasture,  just  little  wild  bushes  that  had  strayed  up  there 
from  the  low  places,  and  he  had  treated  them  well,  and  had 
given  them  what  they  liked  best  to  eat,  and  had  taken  such 
good  care  of  them  they  had  grown  into  a  wonderful  blueberry 
orchard,  and  the  sweet  dusky  berries  were  twice  as  large  as 
any  blueberries  had  ever  been  before. 

So,  Buddy  Jim  had  lots  of  fun  filling  his  pail  with  them, 
and  long  before  it  was  filled  he  simply  could  not  have  eaten  a 
single  berry  more,  and  his  face  looked  just  like  a  little  black 
boy's  face. 

Blueberries  do  stain  so!  But  Buddy  could  not  see  his  face, 
and  he  would  not  have  cared  if  he  could  have  seen  it,  he  was 
having  so  much  fun. 

All  at  once,  Old  Dog  Sandy  barked  at  something.  Buddy 
knew  what  that  meant.  Sandy  had  found  some  Little  Neigh- 
bor. So  he  ran  quickly.  He  was  always  afraid  that  the  silly 
old  dog  would  at  some  time  hurt  some  little  helpless  creature. 

He  found  him  in  a  thicket  of  brakes  at  the  edge  of  the 
woods,  dancing  around  an  old  stump,  barking  like  mad  at 
Molly  Cotton-tail  and  her  two  babies,  who  were  trying  to 
squeeze  themselves  into  a  little  hollow  at  the  foot  of  the  stump. 

Molly  Cotton-tail  was  trying  to  shelter  the  two  little  ones 
with  her  body,  but  she  wasn't  quite  big  enough. 

"Sandy,"  said  Buddy,  "stop  that  barking  and  go  and  lie 
down  until  I  come!" 

Old  Dog  Sandy  trotted  off,  looking  foolish  and  disgusted, 
and  talking  to  himself.  He  could  not  understand  Buddy! 
Here  he  took  all  this  trouble  to  hunt  up  game  for  him,  and 
every  time  he  got  blamed  for  it.  It  was  no  way  to  treat  a 
dog.     He  was  going  to  stay  at  the  house  after  this. 

"My!"  said  Molly  Cotton-tail,  drawing  a  long  breath, 
"J'm  glad  you  called  off  that  old  dog.     I  thought  we  were 


Mary  was  sRellmg  Peas 


for  Dinner 


uddyjim     ,,/ ;,'-^ 


surely  done  for  just  before  you  came.  I  thank  you  ever  so 
much,  not  only  for  me,  but  for  my  poor  babies  who  are  only 
four  weeks  old." 

"I  am  sorry  my  old  dog  was  so  rude,"  said  Ruddy.  "Some- 
how he  won't  stop  barking  at  the  little  neighbors.  He  thinks 
it's  fun!" 

"It  may  be — for  him,"  said  Molly  Cotton-tail,  "but  not 
for  us.  You  see  we  cannot  climb  trees,  as  some  animals  can, 
and  we  do  not  swim  to  speak  of,  and  we  have  no  holes  in  the 
ground  to  dodge  into,  unless  we  use  some  other  person's  house, 
and  then  we  may  be  running  into  danger,  because  the  snakes 
use  the  old  houses  of  the  wood-chucks  and  gophers,  and  of 
course  mothers  cannot  run  away  and  leave  their  babies — so 
you  can  see  it's  not  very  easy  being  a  rabbit." 

"I  guess  not,"  said  Ruddy.     "Do  you  live  near  here?" 

"My  home  is  right  around  the  corner,  under  an  old  log," 
said  Molly  Cotton-tail.  "I  have  a  very  nice  home,  all  lined 
with  my  last  year's  coat,  and  as  comfy  as  can  be.  Rut  T 
brought  the  children  out  here  to  sleep  today,  it  was  so  pleasant 
and  cool  and  dim  in  here.  We  were  having  such  a  good  nap 
when  your  old  dog  found  us." 

"Jt  is  so  early  in  the  clay,"  said  Ruddy,  "that  I  don't  see 
how  you  could  have  needed  a  nap." 

"Oh,  but  you  see,"  said  Molly  Cotton-tail,  "we  work  nights 
and  sleep  days!" 

"Why  do  you  do  that?"  asked  Ruddy  Jim.  "Well,"  said 
Molly  Cotton-tail,  "it  is  so  light  in  the  day,  and  we  can  see 
so  many  things  to  frighten  us — we're  not  very  brave  you 
know — and  it's  so  much  fun  to  come  out  when  it's  cool  and 
dark  to  play  our  games  and  find  our  food.' 

"It's  a  funny  way  to  live,"  said  Ruddy.  "I  couldn't  find 
my  way  about  in  the  dark." 

"I  suppose  we  are  made  differently,"  said  Molly  Cotton- 
tail, "so  that  we  can  all  use  the  same  world;  it  would  be  too 


?r^.:;C<    Buddy  Jinx  >- 

crowded  if  we  all  had  to  be  out  in  it  at  the  same  time.  But 
if  you  will  excuse  me  now  I  will  get  my  children  to  sleep 
again,  so  Goodbye,"  and  she  started  for  the  comfy  fur-lined 
nest  under  the  old  log. 

"Goodbye,"  said  Buddy  Jim.     "I'm  glad  I  met  you." 

"Get  many  blueberries,  Buddy?"  asked  Old  Bob  the 
gardener. 

"Lots,"  answered  Buddy.  "And  Old  Dog  Sandy  scared  up 
Molly  Cotton-tail  and  her  two  little  baby  Cotton-tails,  in  the 
edge  of  the  woods." 

"That  so  ?"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "did  you  see  them  ?" 

"Yes,  I  did,"  answered  Buddy,  "the  babies  were  cute  little 
things.  Say,  Bob,"  he  went  on,  "why  do  people  always  say 
that  rabbits  have  no  brains?" 

"I  don't  know,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "I've  always 
thought  myself  that  Molly  Cotton-tail  was  a  pretty  bright 
Little  Neighbor." 

"I  think  so  too,"  said  Buddy. 


llm 


I    Key  mxist  tVtirtk,  its  Candy 


BUDDY  JIM  AND  THE  HARVEST  MICE 

The  vol  den  vlow  was  waving; 

Her  pom-poms  in  the  sun. 
And  the  click  of  busy  reapers  said 

That  harvest  had  begun; 
The  Sumac  trees  were  dressing  up 

In  gowns  of  crimson  hue 
But  there  didn't  seem  to  be  a  thing 

A  little  boy  could  do. 

BUDDY  JIM  sat  on  the  top  step  of  the  porch  and  didn't 
know  what  to  do!  He  had  fed  the  rabbits  and  chick- 
ens, and  everybody  else  was  busy!  He  had  been 
told  that  he  must  not  go  to  the  harvest  field  because  the  men 
didn't  want  little  boys  around  machinery;  and  nearly  he  was 
lonesome!  Then  Old  Bob  the  gardener  came  by  with  his 
cheery  whistle  and  his  "Hello,  Buddy,  old  scout,  what's  doing 
today?"  "Nothing,"  said  Buddy.  "Why,  Bob?"  "Well," 
said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "I'm  pretty  busy,  myself,  today, 
and  I  was  wondering  if  perhaps  a  little  boy  about  your  size 
wouldn't  be  so  kind  as  to  go  down  to  the  far  pasture  and  salt 
the  sheep  for  me." 

"Why,  of  course  I  will,"  said  Buddy  Jim.  "But,  Bub, 
how  do  you  salt  sheep?" 

"Oh,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "you  just  take  some  salt 
along  and  sprinkle  it  on  the  ground.  1  always  put  it  near  the 
big  flat  rock  just  inside  the  five  barred  gate.  The  sheep  will 
come  and  get  it.  They  will  be  there  by  the  time  you  are  most 
likely,  because  they  can  smell  salt  a  long  way." 

'  Shall  I  take  Old  Dog  Sandy  along,  Bob?"  asked  Buddy. 


uddy  Jinx   ■>;•-::,  ''^  ^r 

"Better  not,"  advised  old  Bob  the  gardener,  "he  wouldn't 
hurt  them,  I  know,  but  the  sheep  would  not  understand. 
They  think  all  dogs  are  their  enemies." 

When  Buddy  got  to  the  far  pasture  the  sheep  were  all  in 
sight  nibbling  at  the  short  grass.  As  soon  as  they  saw  him 
scattering  the  salt  on  the  ground,  how  they  did  run  to  get  it! 
Buddy  climbed  up  on  the  rive-barred  gate  to  watch  them  eat 
it.     "They  must  think  it's  candy,"  he  said  to  himself. 

After  they  had  eaten  every  tiniest  bit  of  the  salt,  the  old 
bell  wether  started  away  and  all  the  others  followed  him. 
"They  are  going  to  the  spring  now  to  get  a  drink,"  thought 
Buddy  Jim.  "So  I  think  I'll  go  home."  But  just  then  who 
should  fly  gracefully  along  and  light  on  the  top  bar  of  the  five- 
barred  gate  quite  near  to  Buddy  Jim,  but  Mr.  Red-headed 
Woodpecker,  dressed  all  in  his  very  best.  He  paid  no  atten- 
tion at  all  to  Buddy.  He  just  sat  there  thinking  about  some- 
thing. Then  he  flew  over  to  an  old  stump  with  a  hole  in  one 
side  of  it  for  a  door,  and  began  knocking  loudly  with  his  long 
bill  on  the  side  of  the  stump. 

Presently  a  little  bit  of  a  Mother  person  came  to  the  door 
and  peeped  out.  When  she  saw  who  was  there  she  drew  her 
head  back,  and  Buddy  heard  her  say:  "Please,  Mr.  Wood- 
pecker, don't  make,  so  much  noise.  My  babies  can't  sleep 
at  all." 

"O,  so  you  are  at  home  this  time,  Mrs.  Harvest  Mouse," 
said  Red-headed  Woodpecker.  "Well,  I've  come  to  collect 
my  rent,  if  you  please!" 

"I  am  sorry 3  Mr.  Woodpecker,"  said  the  little  Mother 
person,  "but  there  isn't  a  thing  in  the  house  that  you  could 
use.  Father  Harvest  Mouse  has  had  to  get  up  early  and  go 
out  to  rind  something  for  our  own  breakfast." 

"In  that  case,"  said  Mr.  Red-headed  Woodpecker,  "I'll 
wait  until  he  comes  back,  and  if  he  doesn't  bring  something 
that  I  like  better,  why,   baby  mice  will   taste  pretty  good," 


1^^     :<    Buddy Jitxv 

and  he  began  drumming  on  the  old  stump  again.  "I  wonder 
what  I  can  do  to  help  that  little  Mother  person?"  Buddy 
asked  himself.  He  could  hear  the  little  Mother  trying  to  hush 
her  frightened  babies,  and  he  knew  that  she  was  just  as  much 
frightened  as  they  were.  Just  then  little  Father  Harvest 
Mouse  came  running  along  the  top  bar  of  the  five-barred  gate. 
He  had  his  mouth  full  of  heads  of  wheat.  They  stuck  out 
from  his  funny  little  face  just  like  big  whiskers,  and  he  could 
hardly  see  over  them.  He  stopped  short  as  he  heard  Red- 
headed Woodpecker  knocking  at  his  door,  and  then  he  saw 
Buddy  Jim.  "O  dear,  O  dear,"  he  said,  as  well  as  he  could 
with  his  mouth  full  of  wheat,  "this  place  is  full  of  enemies! 
It  is  quite  time  that  we  moved." 

"I'm  not  your  enemy,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  softly. 

"Aren't  you?"  said  the  little  fellow.  "Well,  you  can  see 
for  yourself  that  Red-headed  Woodpecker  is." 

"Why  did  he  ask  Mrs.  Harvest  Mouse  for  the  rent?"  asked 
Buddy.     "Does  your  house  belong  to  him?" 

"It  once  belonged  to  one  of  his  family,"  said  Father  Har- 
vest Mouse.  "But  it  had  not  been  used  in  years  and  years 
until  we  found  it  and  made  it  over  for  a  home  for  ourselves 
and  our  babies.  He  never  bothers  us  unless  he  knows  we  have 
small  children.  I  scarcely  ever  leave  home  in  the  day-time, 
but  I  went  out  today  to  find  a  new  home.  We  shall  move 
tonight." 

"Where  are  you  going  to  live?"  asked  Buddy  Jim.  "We 
are  going  to  move  nearer  the  wheat  fields,"  said  Father  Har- 
vest Mouse.  "I  am  going  to  build  my  own  house  this  time. 
But  I  wish  that  old  chap  would  fly  away,  so  I  could  go  and 
feed  my  family.     They  must  be  nearly  starved." 

"Til  make  him  go  away,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  taking  his  sling 
shot  from  his  pocket.      "I  won't  hit  him,  but  I'll  frighten  him." 

Mr.  Red-headed  Woodpecker  was  so  busy  knocking  at 
Mother  Harvest   Mouse's  door  that  he  did   not  notice  any- 


uddy  JFm, 


x^r. 


thing  at  all  until  Bing!  came  a  stone  from  the  sling  shot.  Fie 
flew  over  to  the  fence.  Then  as  nothing  happened  he  flew 
back,  and  began  knocking  as  before.  Then  Buddy  Jim  sent 
another  shot  that  hit  the  stump  a  little  nearer  to  the  old  fellow. 
Then  he  saw  Buddy,  and  with  a  saucy  "Here,  here,  quit  it, 
quit  it,"  he  flew  away. 

"Thank  you  ever  so  much  for  helping  us,"  said  the  little 
Father  Mouse  as  he  ran  home. 

Buddy  Jim  stayed  a  while  to  see  if  Red-headed  Woodpecker 
would  come  back.  But  he  didn't.  "He  must  think  I'm  one 
of  those  fellows  who  really  mean  to  hurt  the  birds,"  said 
Buddy.  "I'm  sorry  for  that.  But  he  wasn't  fair,  and  he's 
got  to  learn  better.  I  wish  he  could  behave  himself.  He's 
so  good  looking  I  can't  help  liking  him.  But  he's  got  to  play 
fair.  He's  got  to  play  fair,"  said  Buddy  Jim,  striking  out 
for  home. 


m 


W    #f,  i-S 


BUDDY  JIM  AND  THE  GRAY  SQUIRREL  FAMILY 

The  Golden-Rod  was  sprinkling 

Fresh  perfume  on  the  air, 
And  the  little  Milk-weed  fairies 

Were  flying  everywhere. 
The  blackberries  were  ripening  in 

The  splendid  August  sun! 
Said  Buddy  Jim,  "Tm  sure  there'll  be 

Enough  for  everyone." 


E 


NOUGH  of  what?"  asked  Old  Bob  the  gardener, 
who  happened  to  be  passing  the  porch  just  that 
minute. 

"O,  good  morning,  Bob,"  said  Buddy,  running  to  meet 
the  old  gardener;  they  were  great  friends.  "Enough  black- 
berries for  all  of  us,  is  what  I  meant.  For  us  and  the  birds 
too." 

"Guess  there  will  be,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "never 
did  see  such  a  blackbr'y  crop  as  there  is  this  year.  Are  you 
thinking  of  going  blackberryin'?" 

"Mary  the  cook  said  that  if  I  would  go  and  get  some 
that  she  would  make  me  some  jam  to  have  for  my  breakfasts 
next  winter,  with  my  own  name  on  the  labels,"  said  Buddy. 
"So  Em  going  to  get  them  today  before  they  ripen  too  much." 

"Well,  Buddy,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "if  you  are 
going  into  that  blackbr'y  bramble  you'd  better  put  on  your 


Rere  were  really  wilcf 
A  Animals  iiv  the  Forest ! 


7^^    w   Buddy  Jinx 

shoes  and  stockings,  unless  you  want  to  get  your  feet  and 
legs  scratched." 

'Til  take  them  along,"  said  Buddy,  "and  put  them  on 
after  I  get  there.  It  is  so  much  fun  to  go  barefoot  in  the 
dewy  grass." 

So,  after  getting  a  shiny  new  tin  pail  from  Mary  the  cook, 
Buddy  tied  his  shoes  together  by  the  strings,  and  hung  them 
around  his  neck,  whistled  to  Old  Dog  Sandy,  and  went  across 
the  fields  of  late  clover  where  the  big  bumblebees  were  busy, 
to  the  hillside  where  the  blackberries  grew. 

Such  a  tangle  of  bushes  as  he  found  there;  and  all  simply 
loaded  with  great  ripe  berries. 

Buddy  Jim  sat  down  on  a  fallen  log  and  put  on  his  shoes 
and  stockings,  while  Old  Dog  Sandy  just  nosed  around.  It 
was  very  pleasant  up  there,  Buddy  Jim  thought.  He  could 
look  away  down  on  the  shining  meadows,  where  the  little 
crooked  river  ran  like  a  silver  ribbon  through  the  green  of 
the  wild  fields  that  ran  out  to  the  edge  of  the  big  woods. 

There  were  very  big  fish  in  the  river,  so  Bob  the  gardener, 
had  said,  and  really  wild  animals  in  the  forest.  Bears  and 
wolves  even,  and  deer.  And  on  dark  nights  sometimes, 
Jack  O'  Lantern  danced  and  swung  his  light  around.  Old 
Bob  the  gardener  had  promised  that  Buddy  should  go  along 
with  him  and  camp  out  some  night  while  the  men  were 
cutting  the  wild  hay  on  the  shining  meadows.  He  wished 
he  were  going  there  now.  Now,  this  minute!  Then  he 
remembered  that  he  had  come  to  pick  blackberries. 

Old  Dog  Sandy  was  not  interested  in  the  berries.  So  he 
started  off  by  himself  to  see  what  he  could  find.  "Look  out 
for  old  man  Porcupine,"  called  Buddy.  Sandy  looked 
foolish,  and  ran  away.  His  mouth  was  still  sore  at  the 
corners,  because  he  had  sneaked  away  one  day  to  settle  an 
old  score  with  Prickly  Porcupine;  and  he  did  not  like  to  be 
reminded  of  it. 


uddyjinx  -^^^ 

It  was  fun  to  pick  the  berries,  and  although  Buddy  put 
one  in  his  mouth  for  every  two  that  he  put  in  the  pail,  he 
soon  had  the  pail  full.  Then  he  sat  down  to  rest  and  wait 
for  Old  Dog  Sandy  to  come  back. 

At  first  there  was  no  noise  at  all,  except  the  Katy-dids' 
quarrelling  with  each  other,  and  then  making  up  again,  and 
the  song  of  the  locusts,  but  presently  Buddy  became  aware 
of  other  voices. 

"O-dear-O-dear,"  chattered  a  small  somebody,  "it  is  just 
as  I  expected,  all  the  nicest  berries  are  gone!  You  would 
loiter  so,  children,  wasting  our  time  on  hazel-nuts  that  won't 
be  ready  to  eat  for  a  month  yet." 

"Now  never  mind,  never  mind,  Mother,"  said  a  second 
small  voice,  "I'm  sure  we  shall  find  enough  ripe  berries  for 
our  lunch.     Here  is  a  nice  big  one  now,  just  full  of  seeds." 

"The  best  thing  about  blackberries,"  said  the  first  voice, 
"is  that  they  are  both  food  and  drink." 

"Oo — oo — ee — ee,"  shouted  another  little  voice.  "What 
luck!  Somebody  has  picked  a  lot  of  berries  and  put  them  in 
a  dish  for  us,  and  left  them  here.  Come  quickly,  Sister,  come 
quickly!" 

"Now  they've  found  my  pail  full  of  berries,"  said  Buddy. 
"Children,  Children!"  called  the  Mother  voice,  "don't  touch 
those.     It  may  be  a  trap!" 

"You  must  never  touch  anything  that  has  the  Man  smell 
about  it,"  said  their  father. 

Very  softly,  so  as  not  to  frighten  away  those  who  were 
making  so  free  with  his  blackberries,  Buddy  turned  around. 
And  there  was  Father  and  Mother  and  Sister  and  Brother 
Gray  Squirrel. 

They  certainly  looked  funny,  with  their  eager  little  faces 
all  stained  with  blackberry  juice.  Buddy  just  couldn't  help 
it.     He  laughed  right  out  loud. 


^r%>v    Buddy  Jitrt 

Then  they  saw  him,  and  as  quick  as  a  wink  there  wasn't  a 
squirrel  in  sight.  They  had  all  whisked  like  little  gray  streaks 
up  in  the  branches  of  an  old  birch  tree. 

But  squirrels  are  such  curious  little  people  that  they  just 
had  to  peep,  to  see  who  and  what  was  down  below  them. 
And  Buddy  Jim,  knowing  that  they  would  be  back  presently, 
stretched  out  on  the  ground  and  lay  very  still. 

"He  seems  to  be  harmless,"  said  Father  Squirrel.  "He 
does  indeed,"  said  Mother  Gray  Squirrel.  "He  is  harmless," 
said  Brother  Gray  Squirrel,  "and  what  is  better  he  is  kind. 
He  is  the  boy  who  made  the  nest  for  Flying  Squirrel's  family 
in  the  barn  at  haying  time.  I'm  not  afraid  of  him.  I'm 
going  down  and  get  my  lunch."  "So  am  I,"  said  Sister  Gray 
Squirrel.  And  they  both  slid  down  head  first,  on  the  trunk 
of  the  big  old  birch  tree.  "Help  yourselves,  Little  Neighbors," 
said  Buddy  softly.    "I  won't  look.    I  can  gather  some  more." 

With  little  squeals  of  joy  Sister  Gray  Squirrel  and  Brother 
Gray  Squirrel  stood  up  on  their  haunches  and  reached  their 
little  paws  into  the  pail  of  berries,  and  ate  and  ate.  Then 
they  filled  their  pockets  full  and  the  juice  all  ran  down  on 
their  little  gray  dresses,  but  they  didn't  care,  and  then  they 
ran  up  the  big  birch  tree  to  take  some  to  Father  and  Mother. 
They  were  just  in  time,  too,  for  Old  Dog  Sandy  came  trotting 
back  and  barked  at  them. 

"I'm  glad  you  are  safely  back,"  said  Mother  Gray 
Squirrel,  "for  while  you  may  be  able  to  trust  some  people, 
you  certainly  can  not  trust  dogs  and  cats." 

Buddy  laughed.  "See  what  a  bad  opinion  folks  have  of 
you,  Old  Dog  Sandy,"  said  he,  as  he  filled  his  pail  again. 

When  he  took  the  berries  to  Mary  the  cook,  she  said, 
"your  lunch  is  all  cold,  Buddy      Didn't  you  hear  the  horn?" 

"Yes,  I  heard  it,"  said  Buddy.  "But  I  had  to  pick  some 
more  berries.  Some  little  gray  tramps  ate  part  of  what  I 
had  gathered." 


t=  *3&£.* 


iiddy  Jitrt 


"Tramps!"  said  Mary  the  cook.  "We  don't  allow  tramps 
here  on  this  farm.  You'd  better  speak  to  Old  Bob  the 
gardener  about  it." 

Buddy  Jim  smiled.  He  knew  Old  Bob  the  gardener  would 
never  object  to  his  little  gray  tramps! 


J$>irrJ  yr  \      % 

¥  fa 
1 


BUDDY  JIM  AND  THE  MUSQUASH  CHILD 

The  downy  purple  Gentians 

J  Fere  lately  come  to  town, 
And  the  maple  trees  wore  crimson 

While  the  oaks  were  dressed  in  brown; 
There  came  a  gentle  splashing  from 

The  merry -hearted  brook 
Said  Buddy  Jim,  "It's  hard  to  stay 

Indoors  and  read  a  book." 


D 


O  YOU  find  it  so,  son  ?"  laughed  Mother. 
"Then  why  don't  you  take  your  books  out  of 
doors?" 

"O  may  I,  Mother?"  eagerly  asked  the  little  boy.  "Of 
course  you  may,"  said  his  mother,  "but  you  are  on  your 
honor,  mind!  Your  lessons  must  be  ready  for  Father  this 
evening;  but  if  it  will  be  easier  to  study  outside,  why  not?" 

Buddy  was  delighted.  He  loved  nothing  so  well  as  being 
out  of  doors,  so  he  wasted  no  time  about  getting  there.  Old 
Dog  Sandy  was  asleep  on  the  porch.  "I  guess  I  won't  take 
him,"  said  Buddy.  "He  is  sure  to  find  some  Little  Neighbor 
to  bark  at,  and  I've  got  to  study." 

Daddy  had  given  Buddy  his  choice.  He  could  go  back  to 
town  to  school,  or  he  could  study  and  keep  up  with  his 
grade  in  the  country  for  two  months.  And  Buddy  had  voted 
for  the  country,  so  Daddy  was  his  teacher,  and  he  was  n  very 
strict  one.     Very  strict! 


- 


/\  Splendid  place  to  fie  artd  study 


^^    C<    Buddy  Jinx 

"I'll  go  down  to  the  brook,"  said  Buddy.  "I  know  the 
very  place."  It  was  a  lovely  afternoon.  The  big  yellow 
pumpkins  looked  like  gold  polka-dots  in  the  sun  among  the 
shocks  of  corn.  "What  a  fine  place  for  Cinderella  to  get  a 
new  coach,"  said  Buddy. 

At  the  brook  Buddy  came  to  the  place  where  he  had  once 
tried  to  catch  Spotty  the  trout.  The  same  turtle  sentinels 
were  asleep  on  the  log,  sunning  themselves,  before  they  went 
into  their  mud  beds  for  the  winter.  As  Buddy  came  along, 
splash !  went  the  tiniest  turtle  into  the  water.  Buddy  laughed, 
"Never  mind,  Little  Neighbor,"  he  said,  "I'm  not  fishing  to- 
day.    I'm  going  farther  down  stream." 

The  place  Buddy  had  in  mind  for  a  place  to  study  in 
was  where  the  brook  widened  out,  getting  ready  to  join  the 
river.  A  big  old  tree  had  fallen  there.  It  reached  away  out 
into  the  swampy  land  on  the  farther  side. 

It  made  a  perfectly  splendid  place  for  a  little  boy  to  lie 
and  study.  Buddy  noticed  some  queer,  humpy  places  across 
the  brook  in  the  swampy  land.  He  wondered  what  could 
have  made  them.  But  the  lessons  were  hard,  so  he  forgot 
about  everything  else  until  he  could  say  them  all  back- 
wards. By  that  time  the  shadows  were  getting  longer. 
Buddy  was  just  going  to  start  home,  when  Splash!  something 
went  into  the  brook.  "My!"  said  Buddy.  "That  must  have 
been  a  bear!"  Then  there  was  a  second  splash,  and  surely 
there  was  something  swimming  across  the  brook.  And  then 
all  at  once  it  sank  right  out  of  sight.  He  lay  very  still, 
wondering  about  it.  Where  could  it  have  gone  to?  He 
watched  and  watched,  but  he  was  very  sure  that  it  did  not 
come  to  the  surface  of  the  water  again.  And  then  all  at  once 
there  came  the  patter  of  little  feet  along  the  old  log  where 
he  lay,  and  a  Little  Neighbor  almost  ran  over  him,  but,  seeing 
him,  stopped  short  and  tried  to  look  as  though  he  were  not 
there. 


uddy  Jim,      V    ^^f 

"Don't  be  afraid,  Little  Neighbor,"  said  Buddy.  "Who's 
afraid?"  asked  the  Little  Neighbor,  "I'm  not!  But  what  are 
you  doing  on  our  bridge?" 

"Is  it  your  bridge?"  asked  Buddy.  "Well,  we  call  it 
that,"  said  the  Little  Neighbor.  "It  is  such  a  splendid  place 
to  dive  from,  when  one  is  carrying  something.  It's  a  short-cut 
home,  you  see.  I've  got  some  corn  for  supper,  and  I  must 
hurry.  My  father  and  mother  just  went  in.  Didn't  you  see 
them  ?" 

"Where  is  your  house?"  asked  Buddy.  "Why,  that's  our 
house,  across  there,"  said  the  Little  Neighbor,  pointing  to  the 
queer  humpy  looking  thing  in  the  swampy  land. 

"How  do  you  get  into  it?"  asked  Buddy.  "And  what's 
your  name, — if  you  don't  mind  telling  me." 

"W7e  swim,  of  course,'  'said  the  Little  Neighbor,  "and  I  am 
one  of  the  Musquash  children.  Some  folks  call  us  Muskrats, 
but  we  don't  like  that  name.  We  like  the  Indian  name 
better." 

"I  saw  your  father  and  mother  going  home,"  said  Buddy, 
"but  they  just  sank  down  in  the  water,  and  didn't  come  up. 
I'd  be  worried  about  them  if  I  were  in  your  place." 

The  Musquash  child  just  laughed.  "You  don't  suppose 
we  go  away  and  leave  our  front  door  open  so  any  one  can  go  in, 
do  you?"  he  said. 

"We  make  a  tunnel  that  leads  up  to  our  house,  under  the 
water  of  the  brook,  and  nobody  can  find  it  except  ourselves. 
Much  better  than  locking  the  door." 

"What  makes  you  so  afraid  of  people?"  asked  Buddy. 
"I  guess  you  would  be  afraid,"  said  the  Musquash  child,  "if 
people  wanted  your  skin  to  make  coats  of.  Traps  all  about, 
and  spies  and  enemies,  until  we  never  know  what  is  going  to 
happen.  But  there  is  Mother  calling  me  We  haven't  had 
supper  yet.  Goodbye,"  he  called  and  with  a  wonderfully 
big  splash  for  so  small  a  child  he  swam  away. 


.tiddvJfan, 


Buddy  watched  him  out  of  sight.  Then  he  too  went  home 
to  supper. 

After  his  lessons  were  over  for  the  night,  Buddy  asked, 
"Daddy,  what  is  a  Musquash's  skin  good  for?  And  why  do 
people  hunt  them?" 

"It's  good  for  a  beautiful  coat,"  said  Cousin  Betty  who  was 
visiting  there,  "if  you  have  money  enough.     I  haven't!" 

"Glad  you  haven't,  Cousin  Betty,"  said  Buddy,  "and  I 
hope  that  no  one  ever  catches  my  Little  Neighbor,  the  Mus- 
quash child,  to  make  a  coat  from  his  skin.' 


*»«m» 


ipjTe  was  tRiiTking  about  old 

Bob's  storey  of  tKe  Fairies 


\ft 


"& 


V&M 


BUDDY  JIM  AND  THE  WOOD-CHUCK  PEOPLE 

The  Mountain  Ash  was  wearing 

Her  beads  of  coral  red, 
And  the  fuzzy  caterpillars 

Were  all  looking  for  a  bed; 
The  Thistle  birds  were  calling, 

And  the  air  was  crisp  and  clear, 
"Summer  has  gone,"  said  Buddy  Jim 

"And  IV inter  11  soon  be  here." 


T 


kHAT'S  so,  Son,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "and 
that  being  so, you'd  better  make  hay  while  the  sun 
shines." 

Buddy  was  used  to  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  and  his  funny 
sayings,  and  so  he  knew  that  he  didn't  really  mean  that  about 
making  hay,  because  the  hay  had  been  made  for  months,  but 
that  he  must  do  whatever  there  was  to  be  done  and  not  waste 
time  about  it. 

So  he  said,  "What  were  you  going  to  tell  me  to  do,  Bob?" 

"Why,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  with  a  twinkle  in  his 
eye,  "I  s'pose  you  don't  mean  to  make  the  squirrels  a  present 
of  all  the  hazel-nuts  up  in  the  back  pasture,  do  you?" 

"Why,  no,"  said  Buddy. 

"Well,"  said  Old  Bob,  "they  will  be  just  right  to  gather 
today,  on  account  of  the  frost  last  night,  and  it  you  will  spread 
them  out  on  the  flat  roof  of  the  garage  for  a  few  days  the  shucks 
will  come  off  beautifully." 


Buddy  Jinx  ~>:r:^--w 

"Thanks  for  telling  me,  Bob,"  said  Buddy.  "I'll  go  and 
get  some  today." 

"They  will  come  in  handy  evenings  in  the  city,"  said  Old 
Bob  the  gardener. 

Buddy's  smile  faded  out.  He  didn't  want  to  go  back  to 
the  city.  But  the  smile  blossomed  again  right  away.  He 
didn't  have  to  go  for  a  few  more  weeks  anyway.  "I'll  get  a 
basket,"  said  he,  "and  go  right  away  for  the  nuts." 

"A  sack  will  be  much  better,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener, 
"it  will  be  easier  to  carry.     Ask  Mary  the  cook  for  one." 

Mary  the  cook  had  a  flour  sack,  which  she  was  glad  to  give 
to  Buddy.  She  also  gave  him  some  sandwiches  for  his  lunch, 
so  that  he  need  not  hurry  back. 

Buddy  whistled  to  Old  Dog  Sandy,  and  the  two  started 
gaily  for  the  back  pasture.  There  was  no  hurry,  so  he  thought 
he  would  go  and  see  if  there  were  any  thorn-apples  left. 
There  was  a  big  old  hawthorn  tree,  with  low  branches,  stand- 
ing all  by  itself  in  the  pasture.  There  was  a  funny  sort  of 
ring  around  it,  like  a  tiny  circus  ring.  Buddy  had  once  asked 
Old  Bob  the  gardener  about  it;  what  had  caused  it.  And  he 
had  said  that  he  really  didn't  know;  that  it  had  always  been 
there  since  he  could  remember;  but  that  his  old  grandmother, 
who  came  from  Ireland,  had  told  him  when  he  was  little  that 
it  was  a  fairy  ring.  Made  by  the  feet  of  the  fairies,  when 
they  danced  in  the  moonlight.  That  they  always  danced 
around  hawthorn  trees. 

As  Buddy  came  near  to  the  tree  he  was  thinking  about 
Old  Bob's  story  of  the  fairies,  and  wishing  he  could  see  them. 
He  was  sure  he  could  hear  something  that  sounded  like  wings 
rustling,  and  little  voices  whispering;  it  came  from  the  branches 
of  the  old  hawthorn.  For  a  minute  he  thought  perhaps  the 
tree  was  full  of  fairies,  resting  after  their  dance  in  the  moon- 
light. And  then  Old  Dog  Sandy  came  running  up,  and  began 
to  bark,  and  a  whole  flock  of  Bob  Whites  arose  from  the  tree, 


xiddyjrtrv 


and  flew  away  with  a  whirr  into  the  woods.  They  had  been 
lunching  on  the  thorn-apples. 

"Now  see  what  you've  done,  Sandy,"  said  Buddy.  "You 
must  be  more  careful;  I  don't  want  you  to  frighten  the  Little 
Neighbors.  I  am  always  telling  you  so.  Just  once  more  now, 
and  I  shall  send  you  home." 

Old  Dog  Sandy  hung  his  head;  he  just  couldn't  seem  to 
remember  that  he  must  not  bark  at  things;  anyway,  wild 
things;  they  didn't  belong  to  anyone,  he  thought. 

Buddy  Jim  took  only  a  handful  of  the  crimson  thorn- 
apples;  they  were  not  so  very  good,  anyway;  and  besides,  he 
felt  that  they  belonged  to  the  birds,  and  it  was  hazel-nuts  that 
he  had  come  for. 

As  he  got  to  the  hazel  thicket  he  heard  small  voices  chatter- 
ing and  laughing,  and  caught  a  glimpse  of  Red  Squirrel  and 
his  family,  with  their  pockets  just  bulging  with  the  hazel-nuts. 

When  they  saw  him  they  all  whisked  up  in  a  big  tree,  and 
hid  in  the  branches.  "Don't  be  afraid,  Little  Neighbors," 
called  Buddy.  "We  won't  hurt  you;  it  is  only  when  you 
steal  eggs  that  we  don't  like  you." 

But  Red  Squirrel  and  his  family  would  not  come  back. 
They  thought  that  he  might  be  like  other  boys  they  had  met, 
and  that  he  would  follow  them  to  their  nests,  and  take  away 
their  winter  supply  of  nicely-shelled  nuts. 

So  Buddy  started  filling  his  sack  with  the  crisp  green  and 
brown  clusters  of  nuts,  thinking  what  a  treat  they  would  be 
for  the  boys  in  the  city,  winter  evenings  after  school.  The 
sack  was  soon  filled,  there  were  so  many  nuts,  and  then  Buddy 
sat  down  to  eat  his  sandwiches  and  listen  to  the  sounds  around 
him.  There  was  Old  Jim  Crow's  "Ha,  Ha,"  as  he  Mew  away 
from  the  corn  field,  and  the  clear  whistle  of  the  Bob  Whites 
as  they  went  back  to  the  hawthorn  to  finish  their  lunch,  and 
the  "Quick,  quick,"  of  Mr.  Blue  Jay,  who  is  always  in  a  hurry 
over  nothing  at  all,  when  suddenly  Old  Dog  Sandy  began  to 


iiddyjitrt  >>:C^^ 

hark.  Mixed  with  his  barking  and  growling  was  a  scolding, 
chattering  voice  that  Buddy  had  never  heard  before. 

"I  wonder,"  said  he  to  himself,  running  toward  the  noises, 
"what  that  meddlesome  old  dog  is  up  to  now?" 

Old  Dog  Sandy  was  dancing  about  as  nimbly  as  a  puppy, 
iii  front  of  a  tunnel  in  the  side  of  a  little  hillock,  barking  at  a 
funny  little  fat  figure,  which  was  sitting  straight  up,  with  its 
fore  paws  hanging  down  in  front  of  itself. 

Old  Dog  Sandy  saw  his  little  master  coming,  and  stopped 
his  barking,  for  he  remembered  just  too  late  that  he  was  to  be 
sent  home.  Just  then  the  little  fellow  in  the  tunnel  door  saw 
Buddy.  "I  say,"  he  called,  "call  off  your  dog.  He  makes 
me  nervous;  if  he  comes  any  nearer  I  shall  bite  him.  And 
I  can't  go  indoors  until  my  mate  comes  back.  How  do  I  know 
he  would  not  kill  her,  he's  so  savage?  And  she's  so  fat  she 
can't  run." 

"Go  on  home,  Sandy,"  said  Buddy.  "I  told  you,  you 
know."  "Oh  don't  send  him  off  alone,"  said  the  small  per- 
son, "I  don't  know  which  way  my  mate  is  coming  back; 
dogs  can't  be  trusted.  He  might  meet  her  and  tear  her  all  to 
pieces.  They  always  kill  all  wild  creatures,"  he  said.  "That's 
part  of  their  game;  just  their  nature;  they  can't  help  it;  we 
have  to  look  out  for  them,  that's  all.      But  I  do  not  want  my 

mate  killed,  so  will  you  please  take  him  with  you  when  you 

v 
go : 

"Are  you  in  a  hurry  for  me  to  go?"  asked  Buddy,  laughing. 
"Well,"  said  the  small  person,  trying  politely  not  to  yawn, 
"I  really  am  a  little  sleepy,  you  know.  My  mate  said  she 
just  had  to  have  one  more  dinner  before  we  go  to  sleep,  so 
she  went  over  to  the  turnip  field  to  get  it,  and  I  wasn't  hungry 
so  I  promised  to  wind  the  alarm  clock.  I  had  just  come  out 
to  get  the  correct  time  from  Mr.  Sun,  when  your  old  dog  came 
along." 

"Do  you  really  mean  that  you  have  a  clock  to  get  up  by?" 


uddyjitrt 


asked  Buddy.  "Why  not?  Don't  you?"  asked  the  small 
person.  "Though  our  clock  is  not  like  yours;  ours  is  a  sort  of 
calendar  clock.  We  must  wake  up  on  Candlemas  day,  you 
know,  else  nobody  would  know  what  the  weather  was  going 
to  be  for  the  balance  of  the  winter." 

"Oh,  now  I  know  who  you  are,"  said  Buddy.  "You're 
Mr.  Ground-Hog.     Bob    the  gardener  told  me    about  you." 

"Some  folks  call  me  that,  and  some  folks  call  me  Wood- 
Chuck,"  said  the  small  person.  "I  don't  care  either  way, 
so  long  as  they  do  not  call  me  before  February  the  second. 
But  my  mate  is  coming  back,  so  if  you  will  take  your  dog 
away  so  that  she  can  come  in,  I'll  be  much  obliged  to  you." 

So  Buddy  and  Old  Dog  Sandy  stepped  behind  a  big  rock. 
Buddy  peeped  out  and  saw  fat  little  Mrs.  Wood-Chuck 
waddling  along,  blinking  sleepily  in  the  sun.  As  she  joined 
her  mate,  in  the  door  of  their  house,  Mr.  Wood-Chuck  turned 
and  waved  a  friendly  goodbye  to  Buddy,  who  slung  his  sack 
of  nuts  over  his  shoulder  and  started  home. 

"Old  Dog  Sandy  found  a  wood-chuck's  hole  up  in  the  pas- 
ture," said  Buddy  to  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  while  they  were 
spreading  the  nuts  on  the  garage  roof. 

"Did  you  see  them?"  asked  Old  Bob  the  gardener.  "Yes, 
I  did,"  said  Buddy.     "They  were  very  fat  and  sleepy." 

"They  were  just  going  to  den  up,"  said  Old  Bob  the 
gardener;  "they  will  sleep  till  Candlemas  day  now." 

"Do  they  really  come  out  to  find  their  shadow  on  that  day, 
Bob?"  asked  Buddy. 

"Guess  they  must,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "every 
body  says  so,"  and  he  went  away  humming  to  himself, 

"Half  the  corn  and  half  the  hay 
And  half  the  oats  on  Candlemas  day." 


T     S)£z     XCZX     S1W        V* 


1 


ere  were  bri^Kt- colored 
Tkistle  Birds' 


BUDDY  JIM  AND  THE  CHIPMUNK  FAMILY 

The  world  had  turned  to  silver 

Sometime  throughout  the  night, 
Each  weed  and  twig,  and  shrub  and  tree 

If r ore  robes  of  daintiest  white; 
The  big  round  sun  peeped  out  and  smiled — 

The  world  smiled  back;  "Oh  lookf 
Cried  Buddy  Jim,  "It's  like  a  page 

From  a  fairy  picture-book!" 

OF  COURSE  Buddy  knew  all  about  why  the  world  was 
wearing  lacy  white  dresses;  Jack  Frost  had  come  and 
dressed  it  all  up  in  the  night  to  be  sure;  but  he  had 
not  known  how  lovely  it  would  be.  Why,  it  looked  exactly 
like  a  whole  world  full  of  glittering  gems,  like  those  Mother 
wore  in  her  hair  when  she  was  going  to  a  party. 

Just  then,  around  the  corner,  came  Old  Bob  the  gardener. 
1  le  had  a  sharp  and  shiny  axe  in  his  hand.  "Hello,  Buddy," 
said  he,  "Want  to  do  something  for  me?"  'Deed  I  do," 
said  the  little  boy.  He  was  always  anxious  to  do  something 
tor  Hob,  because  the  two  were  great  chums. 

"I've  got  an  axe  to  grind,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener, 
"and  I  want  you  to  turn  the  grindstone  tor  me.  We  are  going 
up  to  the  beech  woods  this  forenoon  to  cut  out  the  dead-and- 
down  trees  for  wood,  ami  old  wood  needs  sharp  axes." 

"I  like  to  turn  the  grindstone,"  said  Buddy,  as  he  started 
the  big  wheel  slowly  turning  around  on  its  axis,  watching  Bob 


uddy  Jixtv  ->>::C^^PT 

the  gardener  as  he  held  the  axe  closely  against  it,  and  poured 
water  on  the  stone  from  time  to  time. 

"Why  do  you  put  water  on  the  stone,  Bob?"  he  asked. 

"So  it  won't  get  heated  by  the  friction,"  said  Old  Bob  the 
gardener,  "it  would  spoil  the  stone  if  I  didn't  wet  it,  and  the 
axe  too,  very  likely.  But  there  goes  the  breakfast  gong,  and 
the  axe  is  sharp  and  I  am  much  obliged  to  you,  Buddy." 

"You're  welcome,"  said  Buddy,  as  he  made  a  dash  for 
breakfast. 

When  breakfast  was  over,  Buddy  went  out  of  doors,  and 
found  Old  Bob  the  gardener  just  ready  to  go. 

"Know  of  any  youngster  who  would  care  to  go  beech- 
nutting  this  morning?"  called  Bob  to  Buddy  Jim.  "If  you  do, 
tell  him  to  bring  along  a  sack  to  put  the  nuts  in,  because  there'll 
be  beech-nuts  a  plenty  after  the  fine  frost  we  had  last  night." 

"T  certainly  do  know  a  youngster  who  wants  to  go,"  said 
Buddy,  "and  he  will  be  all  ready  as  soon  as  he  finds  a  sack  for 
the  nuts,  and  puts  on  some  hiking  shoes.  So  be  sure  to  call 
him,  won't  you  Bob?" 

"I'll  sing  out  when  I  go  by,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener. 
So  Buddy  asked  Mary  the  cook  for  a  flour  sack,  and  put  on 
warm  shoes  and  stockings,  and  was  quite  ready  to  start  when 
Old  Bob  the  gardener  shouted  "All  aboard!" 

Old  Dog  Sandy  stretched  himself  and  looked  at  Buddy  so 
beseechingly  that  he  hadn't  the  heart  to  leave  him  at  home. 
So  he  said  he  could  come  along  if  he  would  promise  not  to 
frighten  any  Little  Neighbor. 

Old  Dog  Sandy  promised  with  his  eyes,  but  down  deep  in 
his  heart  he  was  afraid  he  couldn't  keep  the  promise,  not  if 
he  should  happen  to  meet  something  really  interesting. 
However,  permission  to  go  along  was  all  that  he  wanted,  and 
maybe  he  wouldn't  see  any  wild  thing,  so  why  think  about  it? 

He  was  a  happy  old  dog  as  they  ran  across  the  crisp  fields; 
there  were  flocks  and  flocks  of  bright-colored   thistle  birds, 


uddyjrm, 


chattering  and  getting  their  breakfast  of  seeds  from  the 
weeds,  but  old  Dog  Sandy  didn't  count  those.  They  were  too 
small  and  besides,  they  were  just  like  the  canary  that  Mary  the 
cook  kept  in  a  cage,  and  made  so  much  fuss  over  every  day. 
It  was  a  bit  more  exciting  when  he  picked  up  Molly  Cotton- 
tail's trail — but  of  course  Buddy  whistled  him  back — -he  never 
could  have  any  fun. 

Buddy  thought  he  had  never  seen  the  beeches  look  so  lovely 
as  they  did  on  this  morning,  not  even  in  the  summer — the 
leaves  were  so  brown  and  rustly,  and  the  trunks  so  smooth  and 
such  a  lovely  gray-green  color.  The  wood  cutters  were  there 
already,  and  after  Old  Bob  the  gardener  had  directed  them 
where  to  work  he  came  back  to  Buddy,  and  unrolled  a  bundle 
he  had  brought,  which  proved  to  be  a  blanket  which  he  spread 
under  a  big  tree. 

"Now,  Buddy  Jim,"  he  said,  "I'll  give  you  a  boost,  and  you 
go  up  and  shake  the  branches  and  the  nuts  will  fall  down  on 
the  blanket,  and  you  will  have  plenty  to  do  until  noon  time." 

So,  with  a  boost  from  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  up  went 
Buddy,  like  a  little  brown  monkey,  and  he  began  shaking  the 
branches  of  the  tree,  so  that  the  nuts  fell  down  in  a  big  shower, 
burrs  and  all. 

When  no  more  fell,  Buddy  scrambled  back  down  the  tree 
to  fill  his  sack. 

Old  Dog  Sandy  wandered  off  by  himself,  talking  to  himself 
down  deep  in  his  throat  about  what  would  be  likely  to  happen 
if  he  ever  should  happen  to  meet  that  Pin  Cushiony  Person 
again.  There  must  be  some  spot  on  him  not  covered  up  with 
pins!     "And  then  they'd  see!" 

Buddy  lay  face  down  on  the  blanket,  busily  separating  the 
nuts  from  the  burrs,  and  wondering  how  it  could  be  possible 
that  such  a  big  tree  could  ever  have  grown  from  such  a  tiny, 
three-cornered  little  seed,  when  he  became  aware  of  voices  just 
above  his  head. 


uddy  Jitn 


"I  am  positive  this  is  the  tree  that  was  so  full  of  nuts 
yesterday,"  said  a  small  voice,  "because  I  marked  it  especially 
for  this  morning's  work.  And  now  there's  only  one  or  two 
clusters  left!" 

"Never  mind,  Mother  dear,"  said  another  little  voice, 
"perhaps  the  Red  Squirrels  got  here  first." 

"Ssh,"  said  the  first  voice,  "it  was  not  the  Red  Squirrels — 
I  smell  dog — and  I  smell  man — and  they're  not  far  away, 
either.  Look!  what  is  that,  on  the  ground  at  the  foot  of  the 
tree?"  Buddy  looked  up,  just  as  the  Little  Neighbors  in  the 
tree  looked  down.  "Hurray,"  said  he,  softly,  "that's  Mother 
Chipmunk  and  her  family,  and  they  have  always  been  so  shy 
I  couldn't  get  acquainted!"  So  he  kept  very  still  knowing 
that  the  curiosity  of  the  little  people  was  so  great  that  they 
would  just  have  to  come  down  to  see  what  he  was  doing. 

"That's  a  boy  down  there,  and  he  has  taken  all  our  beech- 
nuts," said  Mother  Chipmunk.  "That's  a  shame.  He  surely 
doesn't  need  them,  and  we  do." 

"Come  on  down,  Little  .Neighbors,"  called  Buddy.  "I 
won't  hurt  you.     Come  on  down  and  help  yourselves." 

The  Chipmunks  looked  at  each  other,  half  made  up  their 
minds  to  take  Buddy  at  his  word,  ran  part  of  the  way  down, 
and  then  ran  back  to  the  sheltering  brown  leaves  again. 

Buddy  sat  very  still,  until,  making  up  their  minds  to  have 
those  nuts  anyway,  the  timid,  beautiful  little  animals  ran 
down  the  trunk  of  the  tree  head  first  and  jumped  right  in  the 
middle  of  the  blanket  full  of  beech-nuts. 

They  paid  no  attention  at  all  to  Buddy,  but  went  busily 
to  work,  filling  their  pockets  full  of  nuts,  selecting  only  the 
full-meated  ones,  and  as  fast  as  their  pockets  were  full,  running 
away,  and  hurrying  back  for  more. 

"You  must  live  near  here,"  said  Buddy.  "We  do,"  said 
one  little  fellow,  "That's  why  we  needed  the  nuts  on  this  tree, 
so  we  should  not  have  to  make  such  long  trips  home  and  back." 


tiddvlim. 


"I've  always  wanted  to  know,"  said  Buddy,  "what  you  do 
with  the  dirt  that  you  take  out  of  your  burrows."  Little 
Chipmunk  started  to  speak,  but  his  mouth  was  too  full. 
"Chuck,  chuck,  chuck,  chuck,"  warned  his  mother,  "don't 
talk  so  much,  children,  and  work  faster." 

"All  right,  little  old  lady,"  said  Buddy,  "keep  your  secrets. 
Goodbye!  I'm  going  to  find  another  tree,  and  you  may  have 
this  one." 

"Bob,"  said  Buddy,  when  they  were  walking  home,  "do 
the  Chipmunks  sleep  all  winter,  like  the  bears  and  the 
woodchucks?" 

"  'Deed  they  do  not,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "they 
couldn't  keep  still  that  long.  They're  too  restless,  and  they 
like  to  know  too  well  what  is  going  on  in  the  world." 

"Cunning  little  things,  aren't  they?"  said  Buddy.  "Yes, 
they  are,"  said  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "and  they  talk  a  lot 
without  saying  much." 

Buddy  Jim  smiled.  He  was  remembering  that  he  had  not 
found  out  very  much  about  the  friendly  little  Chipmunk 
people  after  all.     Not  from  them! 


Id  IBob  irtade  a  sirtatt  IFire 
and  broiled  tKeirt 


BUDDY  JIM  GOES   CAMPING 

The  wild  geese  all  were  flying  south. 

Because  'twas  time  to  go; 
And  the  Thistle  Fairies  all  in  white 

TV  ere  dancing  to  and  fro; 
The  Bittersweet  hung  crimson  beads 

Upon  the  brown  old  oak; 
11  To  leave  all  this"  said  Buddy  Jim 

"Is  cerfnly  not  a  jokey 

FOR  Buddy  was  going  home  tomorrow!  Back  to  the 
city !  He  just  had  to  laugh  when  he  thought  how  he 
had  not  wanted  to  come  to  the  country;  and  what  a 
perfectly  splendid  time  he  had  been  having  all  summer  in 
spite  of  that.  Old  Boh  the  gardener  was  such  a  good  chum! 
And  then  there  were  all  the  Little  Neighbors.  He  wondered 
if  when  he  got  back  home  that  he  would  see  Reddy  Bat  again. 
He  hoped  so;  he  wanted  to  thank  him.  He  was  glad  he  was  going 
to  have  his  happy  summer  to  remember,  and  he  was  more  glad 
that  he  was  coming  back  next  year.  While  he  was  thinking 
about  all  these  things,  there  came,  around  the  corner,  Old 
Bob  the  gardener.  lie  had  on  his  high  boots  and  an  old 
sheepskin-lined,  short  coat.  "Hello,  Buddy,"  he  called. 
"Want  to  go  camping?"  "O,  Bob,  do  you  mean  it?"  asked 
the  lirrle  boy  in  delight.  "Of  course  \  mean  it,"  said  Old 
Bob  the  gardener,  "You've  got  just  time  to  get  ready.  Put 
on  your  warmest  clothes,  and  your  thickest  boots.    I'm  going 


Mxxddyjhrt  >>:(^^ 

to  harness  old  Maud.  We  are  going  down-stream  after 
pickerel,  and  we  are  going  to  stay  all  night,  so  we'll  need 
Mrs.  Mare  to  carry  enough  blankets  and  food." 

Buddy  was  sure  that  there  never  had  before  been  such  a 
ride  as  that  was;  across  smooth  meadows,  through  bumpy 
wood  roads,  over  little  running  brooks,  under  tall  trees,  and 
low-hanging  firs  and  spruces,  with  Old  Dog  Sandy  trotting 
along  behind,  barking  at  everything  he  saw.  Once,  in  the 
woods,  Buddy  heard  a  noise  he  thought  must  be  thunder. 
But  Old  Bob  the  gardener  had  said,'  'No,  it  was  just  old  Mr. 
Partridge  drumming,  just  to  let  Mrs.  Partridge  know  that 
he  was  not  far  away."  Old  Bob  the  gardener  always  seemed 
to  know  everything.  And  pretty  soon,  sure  enough  they  came 
upon  the  Partridge  family  eating  their  lunch  of  birch  buds, 
and  when  old  Dog  Sandy  barked  at  them,  as  you  might  be 
sure  he  would,  they  all  flew  away  with  a  great  whirring  of 
wings. 

When  they  got  to  the  camping  ground  it  was  great  fun 
to  cut  the  fir  branches  for  their  beds.  "Shall  we  use  the  hunt- 
ing cabin,  Buddy?"  asked  Old  Bob  the  gardener,  "or  shall  we 
sleep  out  of  doors?" 

"O,  please,  Bob,  out  of  doors,"  said  the  little  boy.  "I 
have  never  really  slept  out  of  doors."  So  they  brought  up 
lots  of  dry  wood  for  a  camp-fire,  and  made  their  beds  near  it. 
They  were  going  to  light  it  when  they  got  their  supper. 
When  everything  was  ready  they  went  fishing  in  the  boat 
that  was  always  kept  there.  And  they  soon  had  plenty  of 
fish  for  lunch  and  old  Bob  made  a  small  fire  and  broiled  them. 
My!  but  they  were  good! 

After  lunch  Old  Bob  said  he  was  going  to  have  a  nap,  so 
as  Buddy  Jim  was  not  sleepy  he  went  down  stream  to  find 
what  he  could.  He  wranted  to  get  some  spruce  gum  to  take 
to  the  boys,  so  he  stopped  at  every  big  tree  to  dig  off*  what 
he  could  reach.     He  got  some  fine  clear  lumps!     Presently 


uddyjinx 


Buddy  heard  voices.  He  knew  that  it  was  some  Little  Neigh- 
bor, because  it  was  that  kind  of  a  voice. 

So  he  told  Old  Dog  Sandy  to  keep  quiet.  "Always  the 
way,"  muttered  the  old  dog,  as  he  dropped  on  the  ground, 
"Just  as  soon  as  anything  interesting  comes  along  I'm  sup- 
posed to  be  deaf  and  dumb;  no  fun  in  being  a  dog  anyway, 
woof!"  Buddy  crept  along  the  edge  of  the  stream  and 
peeped  through  the  undergrowth.  It  was  a  very  busy  sight 
that  met  his  eyes.  There  were  actually  dozens  of  Little 
Neighbors  busily  at  work. 

Some  were  cutting  down  trees  and  some  were  pushing 
rafts  through  the  water,  and  some  were  pounding  clay  with 
their  flat  tails  to  mend  a  hole  in  a  dam  they  were  making, 
and  some  were  working  on  huts. 

There  was  one  larger  than  the  others  who  seemed  to  be 
the  Master  Workman.  Buddy  was  so  much  interested  that 
he  forgot  to  be  quiet,  and  snapped  a  twig  that  he  was  holding, 
and  immediately  every  one  of  the  Little  Neighbors  dropped 
out  of  sight  in  the  stream. 

Pretty  soon  the  Master  Workman  came  out.  "Hello,  Little 
Neighbor,"  said  Buddy.  "I'm  sorry  that  I  interrupted  your 
work.      You    were    all  working  like   Beavers,  weren't  you?" 

"Of  course  we  were,"  said  the  Little  Neighbor,  a  bit 
crossly.  Buddy  thought,  "what  else  could  we  work  like?" 

"Arc  you  Beavers?"  asked  Buddy,"  I  never  saw  one 
before." 

"Then  what  made  you  say  we  worked  like  Beavers?" 
asked  the  Master  Workman.  "Why,  that's  what  folks  always 
say  about  people  who  are  very  'ndus'trous,"  said  Buddy, 
stumbling  a  bit  over  the  big  word.  "Why  did  your  crew 
jump  in  the  water  as  soon  as  they  saw  me?" 

"Wouldn't  you  get  out  of  sight  if  you  saw  an  enemy 
coming?"  asked  the  Master  Workman.  "  'Course  I  would," 
answered   Buddy,  "but   I'm   not  your  enemy."     "Well,"  said 


uddyjiitv      V    ^  ^ 


the  Master  Workman,  "you  are  very  small,  but  of  course 
you've  got  somebody  grown  up  with  you.  What  are  you 
doing  down  here  if  you  did  not  come  to  hunt  us?" 

"Old  Bob  the  gardener  brought  me  down,  to  camp  out 
all  night,"  said  Buddy.  "And  you  need  not  be  afraid  of  us 
at  all.  My  father  owns  all  this  land  around  here,  and  he 
never  allows  any  Little  Neighbor  to  be  disturbed." 

"That's  good  news,"  said  the  Master  Workman,  and  just 
then  Buddy  heard  Old  Bob  the  gardener  calling  him.  So  he 
said  goodbye,  and  ran  back  to  camp.  "What  are  you  trying 
to  do,  Buddy?"  asked  the  old  chap,  laughing,  "lose  yourself 
in  the  woods?"  "I  couldn't  get  lost  just  following  the  stream," 
said  Buddy.  "I  could  always  follow  it  back.  \  found  old 
Mr.  Beaver  and  his  crew  working  down  there  fixing  up  their 
houses  for  winter." 

"Well,  let's  have  supper  now  and  get  to  bed,"  said  Old 
Bob  the  gardener. 

Buddy  meant  to  stay  awake  all  night.  He  wanted  to 
tell  the  boys  at  home  how  it  felt  to  sleep  outdoors.  He  saw 
the  stars  come  out  one  by  one,  and  the  slender  new  moon 
began  sailing  in  the  sky  like  a  little  silver  boat  almost  before 
the  sun  had  gone  to  bed. 

In  a  tree  top  near  by,  a  big  old  owl  wanted  to  know 
"who,  who,  who?"  and  he  could  hear  the  sleepy  twitter  of 
the  chick-a-dee  birds. 

He  was  glad  he  was  there.  Then  he  snuggled  closer 
under  the  blankets,  and  the  Little  Neighbors  came  softly  and 
tiptoed  up  and  looked  at  him,  and  then  tiptoed  softly  away 
again.  They  were  sorry  too,  that  he  was  going  back  to  the 
city  tomorrow!  But  they  were  sure  he  would  return  with 
the  springtime,  and  then  how  glad  would  they  all  be  to 
welcome  him  back. 

For  Buddy  Jim  was  the  right  kind  of  a  boy!  And  they 
appreciated  him!     And  were  glad  to  be  his  Little  Neighbors. 


t 
can 


RACKY  RACCOON 

THANK  Goodness,"  chuckled  Racky  Raccoon, "tha 
Old  Dog  Sandy  has  gone  back  to  the  city,  and  I  cai 
get  down  on  the  ground  and  stretch  my  legs  in  the 
daytime  if  I  want  to. 

"He's  been  snooping  around  here  all  summer,  so  that 
nearly  I  didn't  get  in  this  book  at  all. 

"But  better  late  than  never,  and  it's  been  worth  being 
up  a  tree  all  summer,  to  get  in  here  with  Buddy  Jim  and  all 
the  rest  of  the  Little  Neighbors. 

"But  hungry!  I  haven't  had  a  bite  since  twelve  o'clock 
by  the  moon  last  night,  and  I  see  that  Old  Bob  the  gardener 
has  thoughtfully  left  some  nice  yellow  pumpkins  on  the  hill- 
side for  me.  You  didn't  know  I  liked  pumpkins?  No  more 
do  I;  only  the  seeds. 

"How  do  I  get  the  pumpkins  open?  Say,  what  do  you 
s'pose  my  claws  are  for? 

"And  alter  I  get  the  seeds  I  have  to  take  them  to  the 
brook  and  wash  'em.  What  for?  O,  my  mother  told  me 
never  to  eat  anything  without  first  washing  it. 

"S'long!     See  you  later." 


VOLLAND 
"NATURE  CHILDREN"  BOOKS 

7  HE  Volland  Ideal  is  that  books  for  children  should 
contain  nothing  to  cause  fright,  suggest  fear,  glorify 
mischief,  excuse  malice  or  condone  cruelty.     That  is 
why  they  are  called  "Books  Good  tor  Children." 

The  Volland  "Nature  Children'  Boohs  are: 

REALLY-SO  STORIES.     By  Elizabeth   Gordon-,  illustrated  by 

John  Rae. 
BUDDY  JIM.     By  Elizabeth  Gordo.v,  illustrated  by  Johv  Rae. 
THE  TURNED  INTO'S.     By  Elizabeth  Gordon,  illustrated  by 

Janet  Laura  Scott. 
WHISK  AWAY  OX  A  SUNBEAM.     By  Olive  Beaupre  Miller, 

illustrated  by  Maginel  Wright  Enright. 
WILD    FLOWER    CHILDREN.      By    Elizabeth    Gordon,   illus- 
trated by  Janet  Laura  Scott. 
FABLES  IN  RHYME.     By  W\i.  Trowbridge  Earned,  illustrated 

by  John   Rae. 
FLOWER    CHILDREN.     By   Elizabeth   Gordon,  illustrated  by 

M.  T.  Ross. 
BIRD  CHILDREN.     By   Elizabeth   Gordon,  illustrated   by   M. 

T.  Ross. 
AMMAI.  CHILDREN.    By  Edith  Brown  Kirkwood,  illustrated 

by  M.  T.  Ross. 

You  can  get  any  of  these  delightful   hooks  from    your  book 
man.      If  he  hasn't  them,  write  to  us. 


THE  P.  F.  VOLLAND  COMPANY 
Publishers  of  Books  Good  for  (  hildren 

MU.ILT.    ILLINOIS 

Nl   '•'.      VuRI  KoSTON 


SOME  UNUSUALLY  SUCCESSFUL 
VOLLAND  BOOKS 

RAGGEDY  ANN'S  WISHING  PEBBLE 

Written  and  illustrated  by  Johnny  Grueli.e 

RAGGEDY  ANN  AND  THE  PAPER  DRAGON 

Written  and  illustrated  by  Johnny  Gruelle 

RAGGEDY  ANN  AND  ANDY  AND  THE  CAMEL 
WITH  THE  WRINKLED  KNEES 

Written  and  illustrated  by  Johnny  Gruelle 

THE  CAT  WHOSE  WHISKERS  SLIPPED 

Written   by   Ruth    Campbell,   illustrated   by   Ye    Elizabeth 
Cadie 

REYNARD  THE  FOX  AND  OTHER  FABLES 

Re-written  by  W.  T.  Larned.  illustrated  by  John  Rae 

RE  ALLY-SO  STORIES 

Written  by  Elizabeth  Gordon,  illustrated  by  John  Rae 

IJ  your  book  man  should  be  out  of  these  new  books,  you 
can  get  them  by  writing  directly  to  us. 


THE  P.  F.  VOLLAND  COMPANY 

Publishers  of  Books  Good  for  Children 
JOLIET,  ILLINOIS 


New  York 


Boston 


T  ^ 


l'U^ 


pictured 

joKni^ae 


.•-T'V^.. 


\hjJ^ 


THIS  IS  ONE  OF  THE 

**PxjJ  VOLLAND 

''NATURE  children  books 


^rrr^ss^xcs^r 


